The Indy Fuel wrapped up their weekend road trip with a tough 5-2 loss to the Wheeling Nailers on Saturday night at WesBanco Arena. Despite a strong second period that cut Wheeling’s early three-goal lead to one, the Fuel couldn’t complete the comeback.

1st Period: Nailers Strike Early and Often

The Nailers wasted no time taking control of the game. Kyle Jackson opened the scoring just over five minutes in, assisted by Matty De St. Phalle and Jack Beck. Six minutes later, David Jankowski doubled Wheeling’s lead with help from Jackson and De St. Phalle.

Tensions flared between the long-time rivals, but no penalties were assessed as players exchanged shoves and heated words. Atley Calvert’s tally at 16:30, following De St. Phalle’s third point of the night on an assist, made it 3-0 for the Nailers.

Although Indy outshot Wheeling 12-11 in the opening frame, they headed into the first intermission trailing by three.

2nd Period: Fuel Spark a Comeback Attempt

The Fuel found life early in the second period. At 2:38, Matus Spodniak found the back of the net with his first goal of the season from a sharp angle, assisted by Gagnier and Lombardi.

Just over six minutes later, Colin Bilek capitalized on a second chance opportunity to pull Indy within one at 8:53. Kyle Maksimovich and Jalen Luypen earned the assists on the play.

The period was punctuated by penalties and physical play, but neither team could capitalize on special teams. The Fuel continued to dominate the shot count, outshooting Wheeling 24-15 through two periods.

3rd Period: Wheeling Shuts the Door

The final frame saw both teams trade chances early, but the Nailers struck the decisive blow at 13:57 when Jackson scored his second goal of the night to put Wheeling up 4-2.

The Fuel pulled goaltender Strauss Mann in favor of an extra attacker late in the game, but Wheeling’s Lou-Felix Houde sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 17:30. Despite a late two-man advantage for Indy, the Nailers held on for the victory.

Key Takeaways

• Fuel’s Resilience: After a rough first period, Indy showed grit in the second, cutting the lead to one and controlling much of the play.
• Outshooting the Opponent: Indy held a 32-19 advantage in shots but struggled to solve Wheeling goaltender Taylor Gauthier.
• Standout Performances: Wheeling’s Matty De St. Phalle had a standout night with three assists, while Kyle Jackson added two goals and an assist.

The temperatures may be colder as we move through the month of November, but road construction news has not abated.  Some good news for area motorists – the lane restrictions on State Road 37 in the area of 141st Street ended November 7.  Watch for lane restrictions on 96th Street and sidewalk work in the Avalon and Meadow Brook neighborhoods.

For the details, see the weekly update below, as provided by the City of Fishers:

Continue reading Road construction update for the work week beginning Monday, November 18 →

The Indy Fuel traveled to Wheeling, West Virginia, for their first meeting of the season with the Nailers and their first matchup since Wheeling moved to the North Division. In a game brimming with playoff revenge energy, the Fuel ultimately fell 2-1 after an intense shootout battle.

First Period: Quick Start and Early Drama

The Fuel wasted no time making an impact. Just 19 seconds after the puck dropped, team captain Chris Cameron unleashed a blistering slapshot that sailed past Wheeling’s goaltender, giving Indy an early 1-0 lead. Brandon Saigeon and Cam Hausinger provided the assists, marking only the second first-period goal for the Fuel this season.

Moments later, the game turned physical. Cameron and Wheeling’s Matthew Quercia reignited an old rivalry with a spirited bout, earning both five-minute fighting majors.

The Nailers tried to capitalize on a power-play opportunity after Jordan Martin was penalized for slashing midway through the period, but the Fuel’s penalty-kill unit stood firm. The first period ended with Indy holding a 10-6 edge in shots, but not before tempers flared during a post-whistle skirmish near the boards.

Second Period: Nailers Strike Back

The middle frame saw both teams trading chances and penalties. The Fuel failed to convert on two power-play opportunities, as Wheeling’s penalty killers held their ground.

At 16:46, the Nailers found their equalizer. Quercia, playing a pivotal role throughout the game, capitalized on a feed from Kyle Jackson and Matt Koopman to tie the game 1-1.

The Nailers outshot the Fuel 10-6 in the second period, and the evenly matched contest carried its tension into the final frame.

Third Period: Stalemate Intensifies

The physicality persisted in the third as Jack Beck was sent to the box for cross-checking early in the period. Despite yet another power-play chance for Indy, the Nailers continued their penalty-kill dominance.

Both teams exchanged chances but failed to find the back of the net. The Nailers outshot the Fuel narrowly in regulation, but neither side could break the deadlock, sending the game into overtime.

Overtime and Shootout Drama

Overtime brought end-to-end action, with both teams generating quality opportunities. The Nailers outshot the Fuel 8-2 in the extra frame, but Indy’s goaltender held firm, forcing a shootout.

In the shootout, Wheeling’s Jack Beck emerged as the hero, scoring the lone goal in the second round to secure the Nailers’ 2-1 victory.

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It appears the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools and the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) have reached a tentative agreement on a contract covering the HSE Schools teaching staff.

HSEA posted the announcement on social media and said teachers will receive details of the tentative pact Monday.  The school district announced the deal at the same time.   The contract must go to a teacher ratification vote.

“We are grateful for the hard work, dedication, and collaboration that made this agreement possible,” said Superintendent Pat Mapes. “Our students have the best and brightest educators working with them each and every day.”

Had there not been an agreement, the parties would have entered into mediation.

This contract, if ratified by the teaching staff vote and a vote by the school board, covers the 2024-2025 school year.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board will hold two additional meetings in late November.  The district posted the additional meetings on its Web site Friday.

The board sessions are scheduled for Thursday, November 21, and Tuesday, November 26.  Each meeting starts at 5pm.  No agenda has yet been published, so it is not known what the board plans to consider at these meetings.

The special board meeting on November 21 is set to start just one hour prior to the start of a community meeting on the proposed “Fishers Prep” charter high school, at Launch Fishers.  You can register for the community meeting at this link.  If the number of people registering balloons to a big number, the district may move the event to a high school auditorium.  This is the first in-person session, the previous events about the proposed Opportunity Education school have been online.

Sarah Donsbach’s final regular school board meeting is December 11 as her 4 -year board term comes to an end.  She chose not to seek re-election.  Wednesday night’s board meeting was not her last, but she chose to speak out on her board experience then.

“Our community, state and country have dramatically changed in the last 4 years and this past election cycle proved to be one of the worst,” said Ms. Donsbach.  “Vitriol and deeply personal attacks we wage against each other online, and most recently, in an effort to win elections, have only continued to pollute and divide our community and district.  Frankly, we are allowing it to destroy our civility.”

She then turned to comment on some of her fellow board members.

“The behavior of this board and its members have engaged in the last 4 years cannot be the example we set for our youth,” Donsbach said.  “This board cannot continue to show our students that partisanship and promises to outside groups are more valuable than statesmanship, honesty and respect.”

She implored her fellow board members, all returning in January except for Donsbach, to do the work necessary to earn back trust from the stakeholders, students and staff.

The late Senator Richard Lugar and President George H.W.Bush were quoted on how public service is done.

Sarah Donsback ended her statement with this.

“Stop the games, stop the drama, stop the politics and focus on the needs of the students.”

The bargaining team for the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) updated teachers in a rainy outdoor meeting prior to the Wednesday night Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board meeting.  “We are hopeful we are getting closer and closer,” said Craig Frawley, a leader on the teacher bargaining team.

Frawley and fellow bargaining team member Brie Toste detailed the back and forth proposals in negotiating sessions so far.  At Wednesday’s meeting, Frawley said HSE administrators offered each teacher a $1,200 pay increase, HSEA  countered with a $1,600 pay hike.

But there are two other sticking points in these talks, according to HSEA.  Those choosing the traditional PPO health insurance plan will see an 8.5% increase in premiums.  HSE is pushing for teachers to choose the high-deductible plan, which bridges the gap in coverage with Health Savings Accounts.  The bargaining team recently sent a message to teachers explaining how the high-deducible plan with a Health Savings Account would work.

The largest reaction from the teachers listening to this update was the administration’s proposal to eliminate the salary schedule.  Frawley said that would give HSE administrators  the right to place any teacher where they would choose on the pay scale.  The last offer from HSE giving each teacher $1,200 included elimination of the salary schedule.

HSEA bargaining team members emphasized how hard the union has fought to keep the teacher salary schedule throughout all the changes in state law, arguing giving that up would be “huge.”  The bargaining team told teachers it is important to protect the contract language the union has fought so hard to keep.

The final bargaining session is scheduled for Friday this week.  If no agreement is reached, a mediator appointed by the state will work with both sides to come to an agreement.  If that is not accomplished within 30 days, the state will begin a fact-finding process in which a contract could be imposed on both parties.

The discussion was robust and the public hearing featured 20 speakers, all opposing a proposed charter innovation school by Opportunity Education.  School board members face a state-mandated deadline and must decide yes or no as to whether the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District will allow the charter.

The charter high school, named for the time being as “Fishers Prep,” would have 500-600 students when all grades are up and running.  James Troupis from Opportunity Education, a nonprofit organization, made a detailed presentation before the board on what the charter school would offer.

Steve Loser, Director of K-12 Initiatives fir HSE Schools, says he would aim to recruit the 8.7% of students (K-12) in the HSE District that have already chosen a private or charter school.  However, he added there would be some students at Fishers Prep already attending HSE Schools, meaning the state funding support for those students would go to the charter and leave HSE.

Loser also said he has received a legal opinion that none of the referendum money available to HSE Schools can go toward students attending the charter.

Without the Fishers Prep High School, Loser told board members it will take a much longer period of time to build a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program complimenting what already exists at HSE Schools.

The public hearing on the proposed charter featured 20 speakers, including the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) teacher bargaining team, currently negotiating a new contract with the HSE District.  Although one speaker did describe a good experience with one area charter school, she and the 19 others spoke in strong opposition to the proposed Fishers Prep high school.

Loser also announced an in-person community forum on the proposed charter school Thursday, November 21, 6pm, at the Launch Fishers Theatre.  Registration is encouraged, because if a number of people plan to be there, the forum could be moved to a larger venue.

So, the December 11 school board meeting looms large, with a key vote on the charter school coming from board members.

I will say this about the ASM Global staff gearing up for the opening of the Fishers Event Center – they are reaching out for all the publicity they can get.

Wednesday morning, at the invitation of ASM Global, I attended a small portion of a 2-hour-plus orientation for part-time employees that will be staffing the Center at events.

ASM Global’s Mitch List, General Manager of the facility under a contract with the City of Fishers, spoke before the group of workers, welcoming them into to fold.

The Event Center opens November 22 with the Turnpike Troubadours, a country act, headlining the opening night.

The Indy Fuel delivered a commanding 4-1 victory over the Toledo Walleye in a rare Wednesday morning game. After a back-and-forth start, the Fuel dominated the third period to secure the win on the road.

The game’s opening moments belonged to Toledo, as they outshot Indy 6-1 in the first five minutes. Bryan Lemos of the Fuel took the game’s first penalty for tripping at 5:27, and Toledo quickly took advantage. Trenton Bliss capitalized on the power play with a goal at 5:45, marking the 50th of his career. The Fuel faced another early setback when they incurred a bench minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, but they killed off the penalty to keep the Walleye’s lead to one.

Late in the first period, the Fuel saw an opportunity to change the tide as former teammate Anthony Firriolo took an interference penalty at 15:17. When Chaz Reddekopp joined Firriolo in the box for cross-checking, Indy found themselves with a 5-on-3 power-play advantage. The Fuel seized the moment, and at 17:12, Kyle Maksimovich netted a power-play goal, tying the game at 1-1 with assists from Nathan Burke and Colin Bilek.

Both teams fought hard in the second period, though neither could break the tie. The Walleye were unable to capitalize on an early power play, and a too-many-men penalty late in the period kept the Fuel’s momentum alive.

Indy came out strong in the third period, with Kevin Lombardi scoring his first goal of the season—and his first professional goal—at 5:10, giving the Fuel a 2-1 lead. They soon extended their advantage when Cam Hausinger scored on a power play, bringing the score to 3-1.

With three minutes left in the game, Toledo pulled their goaltender in a final push to close the gap. However, Kevin Lombardi took advantage of the empty net, scoring his second goal of the game at 17:26 to seal the victory. The Walleye’s final power play in the last minute was not enough to rally, and the Fuel skated away with a 4-1 win, outshooting Toledo 26 to 22.