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(02/23/18 6:03pm)
The Indy Fuel got their second straight victory of their five game home stand with a wild 8-7 victory against the Quad City Mallards on Thursday Night. The victory boosted them up to fifth in the central division as their quest for a playoff spot continues.
The Fuel overcame a three goal deficit that Quad City tallied in the first five minutes of the first period. Newly acquired defenseman Jaynen Rissling started the scoring first for the Fuel when he scored on a nice slapshot that found its way into the net. Forward Darian Dziurzynski had the assist. Dziurzynski was voted the first star of the game as he added four points, two goals, and two assists to help the Fuel. Rissling was voted the 3rd star of the game with 3 points, adding two assists to his one goal.
The Fuel added another tally in the first when forward Matt Rupert notched his 12th goal of the season. But Quad City fought back when Alex Globke scored on a breakaway goal on Fuel goaltender Matt Tomkins.
To start the second period, the scoring went back and forth with the Fuel and Quad City trading goals. After Quad City forward Tristan King scored, Fuel goalie Matt Tomkins was pulled in favor of their 2018 all-star backstop Etienne Marcoux. Marcoux then held off Quad City’s onslaught.
Defenseman Zach Miskovic started the late second period scoring flurry, and turned the game around when he scored a great goal on a two-on-one breakaway that was started by forward Josh Shalla forcing a turnover in the neutral zone. Shalla himself would have a big game in the Fuel win by adding four assists. Less than 30 seconds later, the Fuel tied
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Indy Fuel forward Darian Dziurzynski[/caption]
the game at 6 when Darren Dziurzynski put the puck in on a nice feed from captain Michael Neal.
Later in the second, the Fuel went on a five minute power play when Quad City forward Triston Grant was called for a boarding major and a game misconduct.. Forward Alex Wideman and defenseman Robin Press scored for the Fuel during the five minute powerplay. And Press’ goal ended up being the game winner.
Quad City defenseman Jake Bolton scored in the closing stages of the third period, but it was too little too late. The Fuel will be back in action on Friday night when they will play Quad City at 7:23 at Farmer’s Coliseum. They also play Quad City again on Saturday night in this best of three series weekend stretch.
(02/20/18 8:30pm)
The IUPUI women’s basketball team faltered at home Monday against the Milwaukee Panthers by a score of 67-60. The loss interrupted a 3-game winning streak for the Lady Jags and was a sour start to a 3-game home stand.
The Lady Jags chose the wrong game to lose their offensive groove. In their last three games, they had been averaging 86 points per contest. Monday, they put up a measly 60, shooting a wimpy 42% from the field.
From the jump, it was obvious this game wouldn’t be easily won. IUPUI has been notorious for stingy defense all season, and Milwaukee returned the favor with tight man coverage. Points were tough to come by in the beginning of the game for everyone not named Tamya. Junior forward Tamya Sims scored the first 10 points of the game and kept the Lady Jags in the contest.
The Lady Jaguars secured a small lead in the first quarter and hoped to ride their 17-13 advantage into the second quarter. They did not.
The second quarter was where the offensive woes began for IUPUI. The passes were crisp. The looks were open. The shots just didn’t fall. The frustrated Lady Jags allowed a 10-3 Milwaukee run that would prove difficult to overcome. Macee Williams had had enough. The freshman phenom decided they would trail no longer and used her silky post moves to bring IUPUI back into contention.
“Our shots just didn’t fall tonight,” said Williams. “It was kind of tough, but you have to keep pushing through.”
It was anyone’s game at halftime. The score read 30-28 in favor of Milwaukee. Though IUPUI’s perimeter defense was sturdy, they let too much go in the post. Milwaukee forwards were putting up layup after layup from quick dump passes, and there was little the Lady Jags could do to stop it.
The battle for an advantage continued in the second half. Both teams found success in the post. Back-to-back threes from Holly Hoopingarner and Tamya Sims shifted momentum in favor of IUPUI entering the 4th quarter. The Lady Jags trailed 44-42.
Lawrence, who had been quiet to this point, showed the offensive firepower she possess that makes her one of the most feared scorers in the conference. She dropped two 3-point shots in successive possessions. She followed those up by finding Williams in the post for an easy score. Strong offensive rebounding and post scoring from Milwaukee kept them in line with the Lady Jags scoring outburst. In the end, Milwaukee scored when they had to and hit their free throws in crunch time.
“We weren’t able to get the stops we needed to,” Sims said. “We weren’t able to lock down on defense and score in transition. They were scoring in transition like crazy. Getting those stops down the stretch would have helped.”
Williams led the Jags offensively with 18 points, followed by Sims with 17 and Lawrence with 13. Sims also led the team in rebounding with 6.
The Lady Jags continue their homestand Friday, Feb. 23 vs Wright State (19-9, 10-6).
(02/16/18 5:53pm)
The debacle that was the Colts head coaching search has finally ended. Frank Reich, former offensive coordinator of Philadelphia Eagles, inked with Indianapolis Feb. 11. He did what few could in beating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. His offensive game planning made backup quarterback Nick Foles look like the MVP.
The 56-year old Reich is no stranger to Indianapolis. He worked with the quarterbacks and wide receivers here from 2008 to 2010. Reich has been known for his offensive prowess since his playing days. In 1993, he orchestrated a 32-point comeback while playing for the Buffalo Bills.
Reich comes as a breath of fresh air. Only the Cincinnati Bengals had a worse offense in 2017. The Colts averaged a measly 284.6 yards and 16.4 points per game. The Eagles, on the other hand, were 7th in yardage with 365.8 yards per game and 2nd in scoring with 28.6 points per game.
Granted, this offensive discrepancy is due to a stark contrast in talent. The Eagles have skill position studs like Alshon Jeffery and Jay Ajayi to work with. The Colts, on the other hand, have a fossil of a running back in Frank Gore and Donte Moncrief is the second best receiving option.
According to an article by the IndyStar, Reich is bringing some much needed tempo to the Circle City. He plans to implement multiple approaches, but they all promise to be fast. The primary formation will be the shotgun, featuring the run-pass option. The new offensive flow is a questionable choice with his battered quarterback. Andrew Luck has been injury riddled. He has taken two seasons off for a shoulder injury that will seemingly never heal. Couple that with a weak running game and a porous offensive line, it could spell trouble for the Colts.
Regardless of what he runs or who he brings in, Indianapolis fans are just happy to have a head coach.The city was sent into a frenzy last week when Josh McDaniels declined the job shortly after Chris Ballard announced him as the new leader of the Colts. The move by McDaniels only fueled the hatefire towards the Patriots that already exists in Indianapolis.
With a barren roster and a rekindled rivalry on his hands, Reich has plenty to deal with in his new position. But Colts management and fans believe he is the man for the job, and anxiously await his tenure as Colts head coach.
(02/09/18 5:26pm)
The optimism for football in Indianapolis has quickly turned to distress. Josh McDaniels, heir apparent to the Colts coaching throne, announced Tuesday that he will remain in New England as an offensive coordinator. The news came as a shock to Colts fans, as he had been announced head coach earlier Tuesday morning.
The move is one of cowardice. Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus, Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo, and Defensive Line Coach Mike Phair uprooted their families and moved to Indianapolis to serve under McDaniels. McDaniels cited family as his reasoning for staying, yet showed disregard for the families of others.
According the sources at NFL Network, McDaniels went into his office in New England to pack his belongings.. As he left, owner Bob Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick sat him down to discuss his decision. Apparently, Belichick and Kraft made quite the argument. McDaniels announced soon after that he would remain in New England.
The news leaves the Colts in a state of disarray. Free agency and the NFL draft quickly approach. General Manager Chris Ballard must move quickly. McDaniels will serve as a learning moment for the young GM.
“We have work to do,” said Ballard. “I want someone that's 100 percent committed to partnering with us and getting that work done."
The search carries on. While McDaniels was the top priority, there are plenty of viable options available. Frank Reich, current offensive coordinator of the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, is on the list. As is John DeFilippo, the Eagles quarterback coach. New Orleans Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell and Leslie Frazier, Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator, round out the Colts top four. All four candidates will interview with the Colts in the coming weeks.
At the end of his press conference addressing the situation, Ballard had a “mic-drop” moment when he said, “the rivalry is back on.”
Ballard is understandably trying to light the fire under Colts fans, but what a joke. Andrew Luck has never beaten the Patriots. The last time the Colts beat the Patriots was 2009. Colts fans say it is a rivalry, but they are nothing more than the little brother. New England will lose no sleep over the Colts rekindling the “rivalry.”
I’m sure Tom Brady is quaking in his Uggs thinking about Jacoby Brissett throwing for 130 yards with three interceptions. Chris Hogan’s biggest concern is a leg cramp when he sprints past the awful Colts secondary. This isn’t a rivalry, Colts fans. Being mad that you lose often isn’t grounds for a rivalry.
(02/02/18 5:57pm)
Justice has not been appropriately served, but it is a start. Larry Nassar has been sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for preying on young girls, both through Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, for decades. More than 160 women have accused him of sexual misconduct, and those numbers continue to grow.
During his sentencing, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said, "I've just signed your death warrant." Nassar is 54. Odds are slim of him surviving his minimum sentencing, let alone 175 years.
156 women spoke during the trial. They informed Nassar of the pain he had caused. They told the court horrible, graphic, incriminating stories of the atrocities he had committed. One Father of three victims even attempted to lunge at the disgraced doctor before he was detained.
While Nassar has been disciplined, the fallout continues with those at Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics. Three board members from USA Gymnastics have stepped down, and there is uproar demanding that they clean house.
Things seem to be even more tumultuous at Michigan State. In the wake of the Nassar sexual
misconduct, several others are coming forward with unrelated cases of the same nature. It seems there is little protection at Michigan State. Reportedly, staff members at Michigan State were made aware of Nassar’s doings as early as 2010. The University has apologized time and again for their misconduct, and University President Lou Anna Simon has stepped down. Much like with USA Gymnastics, people are
calling for a clean house at Michigan State, including basketball coach Tom Izzo and football coach Mark Dantonio, though they refuse blame and insist that the NCAA will make the correct decision.
This is a developing story that will be updated as it happens.
(01/19/18 7:21pm)
by Chris Walter January 19, 2018
The ECHL held its 22nd annual all-star game at the Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum Jan. 15, where fans were treated to an exciting game with the league’s top players. Wayne Gretzky was also on hand to drop the ceremonial puck to start the games proceedings. Gretzky started his professional career here in Indianapolis. At the age of 17, he made his debut for the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association in 1978. Also on hand was Chicago Blackhawks anthem singer Jim Cornelison, who sang “Back Home Again in Indiana” as a tribute video for Gretzky played on the scoreboard.
The Mountain Division won 6-5 in a thrilling sudden death overtime shootout after the South Division came back from a two goal deficit to tie the game. Cliff Watson, a defenseman for the Utah Grizzlies scored the shootout goal and secured the victory for the Mountain Division.
Although on the losing side of the game, the MVP was Taylor Cammarata, the center for the South Carolina Stingrays. He had a big game, as he scored 7 points in total and had a natural hat trick in the championship final.
The hometown Indy Fuel sent two players to the All-Star game this year, as well as head coach Bernie John and assistant coach Ryan McGinnis. Forward Michael Neal, who is leading the team with 22 points and 11 goals this season also, goaltender Etienne Marcoux, who leads the team with a 2.70 goals against average.
Michael Neal is the younger brother of NHL player James Neal, who is also going to the NHL All-Star Game as a representative of the expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights when they host their All-Star game in Tampa on Jan. 28. Michael was drafted by the Dallas Stars in 2007 and has spent the majority of his career in the ECHL. Like his brother, he is a big power forward with a heavy-handed shot. Michael had a goal and an assist for the Central Division in the All-Star game on Monday afternoon.
The All-Star game was a very interesting one as, instead of the normal five versus five style of play fans are more accustomed to seeing, the ECHL added a multi-game, three versus three tournament to this year’s game. This style of play led to more open ice where players frequently had more scoring chances and breakaway opportunities.
Instead of playing one game with three 20 minute periods, the three games were split into seven minute halves with three minute intermissions between them. In between the second game and the championship final, there would be a skills challenge where players competed in three separate challenges. The first was the fastest skater, followed by the rapid-fire shootout challenge which was a skater vs goaltender matchup, and lastly the hardest shot competition.
The first game featured the North Division All Stars versus the South Division All Stars. Fuel goaltender Marcoux, who played for the North Division, made some great saves during the game, but could not stop the South’s offensive onslaught. Taylor Cammarata had two goals for the South Division as they won easily by a score of 3-1.
The next game featured the Central Division versus the Mountain Division, where the Mountain division pulled out to an early 3-0 lead in the first half. They also added two goals in the second half as two late goals by the Central Division were not enough as the Mountain Division won by a score of 5-2.
Then came the skills challenge, where the fastest skater award went to the Central Division’s Justin Danforth, who currently plays for the Cincinnati Cyclones, with a single lap time of 12.7 seconds around the ice. The rapid-fire shootout challenge, which featured the goaltenders and was measured by which goaltender stopped the fewest number of shots, was won by the Mountain Division’s Shane Starrett, who plays for the Wichita Thunder. Finally, the hardest shot challenge was won by the South Division and Orlando Solar Bears defenseman Nolan Valleau, with a slap shot that was recorded at 97 miles per hour.
The third and final championship game was a fitting end to the day as the Mountain Division faced off with the South Division. The Mountain Division jumped out to an early two goal lead. But, the South Division came back at the end of the first half to tie the game with two goals apiece. Then, to start the second half, Taylor Cammarata scored his third goal of the game and 5th goal of the day to give the south a 3-2 lead. But, the Mountain division wasn’t finished as they scored three straight goals to take a 5-3 lead.
Late in the second half with time expiring, Christopher Dienes scored a nifty goal with the assist from Taylor Cammarata. Then, with one minute left in the game, the South pulled their goalie to allow an extra forward. Grant Besse put the puck in the net with a nice assist once again from Taylor Cammarata. This would be Cammarata’s 7th point of the day and fifth of the game.
With the score tied at the end of regulation, a sudden death shootout between the two teams began. With the game on the line, the Mountain Division called on defenseman Cliff Watson, who scored. The South Division’s Cammarata was stopped by Mountain goaltender Shane Starrett on his shootout try to end the game.
With the All-Star game over, the Indy Fuel will be back in action on Friday, Jan. 19 when they take on the Allen Americans at home. Then on Saturday, Jan. 20 the Fuel will host the Cincinnati Cyclones. This will cap off a tough weekend full of divisional matchups when the Fuel travel to Kalamazoo to take on the Wings. The Fuel are currently sixth in the Central Division and these games could turn the tide in their favor as they make a push to the playoffs.
(01/19/18 7:18pm)
With the NASL floundering, the Indy Eleven jumped ship and joined the USL.
by Ryan Gregory January 19, 2018
Worry not, Indianapolis. The Indy Eleven are not going away anytime soon. There were speculations the team would fold, given the struggles of the North American Soccer League. But, they have found a new home in the United Soccer League. The movement is a lateral one, as both the NASL and USL are Division II.
“We are excited to begin a new chapter in our club’s history as we join the USL for the 2018 season,” said Indy Eleven Owner Ersal Ozdemir. “The USL’s remarkable growth on and off the field the past few years has gotten the attention of soccer fans everywhere. We look forward to helping the league continue this momentum as its visibility continues to rise both in the United States and around the world.”
Per seating requirements of the league, the Eleven will no longer play their home games at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium. Instead, their home contests will now be held at Lucas Oil Stadium. With an average attendance of approximately 9,000, the Brickyard Battalion will have plenty of room to grow in the 70,000 seat stadium.
The Eleven are not alone in moving to the USL. Fresno FC, Las Vegas Lights FC, Nashville SC, North Carolina FC and ATL UTD 2 will also join the ranks. The new league is ideal for travel. In the NASL, the Eleven had long road trips to Canada, Puerto Rico, and San Francisco. In the USL, they are divided into eastern and western conferences. Cities like Louisville and Cincinnati have USL teams and should reduce travel distance and cost.
In addition to a new league and new stadium, the Eleven enter this season with a new head coach. Tim Hankinson’s two-year coaching tenure came to an end at the end of 2017. Martin Rennie will lead the Boys in Blue going forward. Rennie comes with experience, having already been head coach of the Cascade Surge, Cleveland City Stars, Carolina RailHawks, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Seoul E-Land FC.
“It’ll be nice to support a team in a league that is stable,” season ticket holder Mike Williams said. “ I look forward to making more road trips as the team will have games in Louisville and Cincinnati.”
(09/24/17 5:48pm)
9/24/2017 By Ryan Gregory
“My passion for basketball started long before I could dribble a ball.”
D.J. McCall’s life has always been centered around the game of basketball. His earliest memory is going with his mother to watch his aunt and uncle play for Indiana Tech, a small college in his hometown of Fort Wayne. McCall is currently a redshirt sophomore at IUPUI. He’s an athletic slasher on the basketball team and worked his way to a starting role this past season. The game has been good to him, but it has certainly made him earn it.
He began his journey in the third grade, joining the Fort Wayne Pal Basketball League. There, he met one of the biggest mentors and influences on his young life, Kevin McGuigan.
“What an amazing influence he is,” said McCall. “He’s a good loyal guy. He does things the right way.”
McGuigan would coach him throughout his prep career, following him through grade school and high school. The two teamed up at Suburban Bethlehem Lutheran Grade School, a small parochial school to the north of Fort Wayne. Sub Beth, as it’s known around Fort Wayne, is surrounded by fields and looks nothing like a basketball school. Yet, Sub Beth was a powerhouse in McCall’s tenure there.
“We didn’t have a big class, maybe 20 kids,” McCall said of his grade school. “In the fourth and fifth grade, the other guys in my class and I used to dream of success when we got to the 8th grade.”
Success is just what they found. The Lutheran Schools Athletic Association (LSAA) in Fort Wayne is renowned for producing the area’s best athletes and hosting the best competition. Small schools like Sub Beth typically don’t stand a chance against the bigger city schools. Unfazed by the stiff competition, McCall and his teammates won the LSAA tournament his eighth grade year and earned a berth in the Lutheran Basketball Association of America tournament.
“That LSAA tournament was one of my favorite tournaments to play in,”McCall said on the unique opportunity. “I was so focused on basketball that season and it paid off for me.”
That focus made something click for the young baller. He realized he could use basketball to pay for his education in his future.
“My mom was such a big influence on me. She had me at a young age, and she didn’t go to college because of me. A big motive for me was to get my degree and not have her pay.”
His opportunity to make this dream a reality would come in high school. He continued in the Lutheran school system by attending Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne. The jump was quite the learning experience for him. As the star of his middle school team, he expected to be playing with the varsity his freshman season. Instead, he spent the first day of tryouts with the freshman team.
His communication and basketball IQ was not at a varsity level yet, so he spent his freshman season on the JV team under coach Tim Reinking. There, he focused on developing his game. He got his fair share of bumps and bruises along the way, but was appreciative of the season on the JV team to hone his skills and properly prepare him for varsity. Sophomore year was another jump as he went from JV to Varsity. There, he could feel that he was growing into his body and was getting more athletic.
Success similar to his eighth grade season greeted him his junior year as he and his fellow Concordia Cadets made it to the state championship game, but lost in a close contest.
“We lost the state championship, but that group of seniors was amazing. They stayed out of trouble and held each other accountable. Everyone knew their role and the practices were always competitive. It was a feeling I’ll never forget and I hope that feeling pushes me at the college level.”
While wins came easy as a junior, McCall and his teammates couldn’t get the ball rolling his senior season. The team struggled to collect wins, and McCall needed convincing just to remain on the team. The team was his and he was big talk around town, but he felt the game slipping away from him.
“Senior year was tough because I got big headed, I thought I was better than I was. I got too comfortable and it made me inconsistent,” McCall said.
“The year didn’t go how I would have liked but I learned a lot. I learned to never be too comfortable. I had good stats but I could have done more in terms of leadership. The star label is cool and nice to have but I wish I was better for our team.”
The Varsity head coach, Josh Eggold, was an instrumental reason in why McCall is at IUPUI today. Eggold convinced McCall that he needed to continue playing. He opened the door for McCall to be the best player he could be, and helped him tremendously in his recruiting. But no one helped D.J. more than himself.
“I heard about IUPUI my junior year of high school. I was interested in them both academically and athletically, plus my father lived in Indy for a few years, so I thought it would be a good fit,” McCall said.
“I reached out to them first. I emailed the coaching staff and expressed my interest. I was offered a scholarship the June before my senior year and I signed my letter of intent a month later.”
While D.J. thought he had his future figured out, things took an unexpected turn. A poor season by the Jaguars that season resulted in a clearing of the coaching staff, the same ones who had extended a scholarship to D.J. He hung in the balance his senior year, hoping the new coach would still be interested in bringing him on board. That new coach was Jason Gardner, and within an hour of his hiring he called McCall and confirmed that he indeed would become a Jaguar in the fall.
“He’s a great guy,” McCall said about his current coach. “I think sometimes he forgets he’s a coach and not a player. He’s so passionate and wants to win so badly. He yells and screams and gets into it because that’s what he did as a player.”
Both McCall and Gardner were settling into new roles in the fall of 2014. McCall was trying to navigate the world of a collegiate student athlete, while Gardner was figuring out how to be the head coach of a college basketball team.
Life outside of the Lutheran School system was a bit of a culture shock for the sheltered young man. In Indianapolis, he was living on his own and making all his own decisions. He could now make all his own mistakes and learn from them. This newfound freedom allowed him to grow as a person and do things on his own.
Once he overcame the butterflies that were bound to come with this new life, McCall performed well his freshman year. In just his second collegiate game against Purdue, he recorded 14 points and six rebounds off the bench. He finished that freshman season averaging 4.8 points per game and 2.9 rebounds.
Given his performance, he was understandably confused when his coaches asked him to redshirt his sophomore season.
“Coach Gardner said I did a lot of things good but there was not a single thing I did great,”McCall said on why he was asked to sit out a season. “I thought it meant the coach didn’t want me, and I thought about transferring. Thankfully, Coach clarified what this meant and said he wanted me, so I decided to accept the redshirt and stay.”
“In that off season, you want to break them down and identify their strengths and weaknesses,” said Coach Gardner on his decision to redshirt McCall. “We did it for the sake of the program. We envisioned him as one of our leaders. Looking at it now, the work that he put in has paid off.”
The extra time allowed McCall to bulk up and gain a better understanding of the game. He also had more time to focus on school, but it’s not like he needed it. McCall has been named to the Academic Advisor’s list every year he’s been at IUPUI. He attributes his hard work in the classroom to Concordia, where they challenged him and pushed him to be the best student he could be.
Fresh off of a redshirt, he was itching to get his redshirt sophomore season underway in the winter of 2016. He took on a defensive role this season and was tasked with guarding the best perimeter player on every team.
“I guarded a lot of good guys this season,” McCall said on his new role. “It was interesting to go from a top scorer in high school to the best defender on the team in college.”
College basketball is just getting started for McCall, he still has two years left here at IUPUI. He gets recognized not only around campus, but around the city as the Jaguar’s high-flying dunker. He is a role model on and off the court, showing drive not only to be a great player, but also a great family man and student.
“It’s all thanks to the people in my life,” said McCall on those who drive him to be the best he can be. “My mom, grandparents, step dad, coaches, teachers and friends. My family has always supported me, and my friends are always there for me. After a bad game, I can text or call any of them to get my mind off of it.”
D.J. has aspirations to play professional basketball after college. His length and aggression that Coach Gardner raves about could bring interest. If he approaches that process like he has with every life change in his life this far, there is no reason he can’t.