The Indy Fuel are heading to the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the third time in the last four years despite losing 5-3 to the Wheeling Nailers on Sunday afternoon, the Kalamazoo Wings would lose to the Fort Wayne Komets on Sunday as well as that was enough to punch Indy’s ticket to the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Fuel became the second team in the Central Division to clinch a spot in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, joining the Toledo Walleye. It’s not the way any team would like to get into the Kelly Cup Playoffs, but they aren’t the first team this year to get into the playoffs with a loss as the Adirondack Thunder punched their ticket to the Kelly Cup Playoffs on a loss as well.
Indy has been led the year by their forward core of Kyle Makismovich, Colin Bilek, and Jon Martin, who all have 20+ goals this season. The goaltending for the Fuel has been okay as all three of their goaltenders have a SV% under .900 as Zach Driscoll has led the team in the pipes with a 21-12 record with a 2.83 GAA and a .893 SV% those 21 wins tie his career high from last season. Duncan Dalmao has been a huge part of the Fuel’s success since being named the head coach of the Fuel in April of 2022 and has led the Fuel to back-to-back Kelly Cup Playoff appearances as the Fuel were swept by the Toledo Walleye in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs last season.
