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THUNDERBOLTS RE-SIGN FORWARD ISAAC CHAPMAN
Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the re-signing of forward Isaac Chapman for the 2025-26 season. The Thunderbolts will raise their President’s Cup Championship banner prior to their 2025-26 home opener at Ford Center on Saturday, October 25th against the Quad City Storm.
Chapman joined the Thunderbolts from Alvernia University just after the mid-way point of the 2024-25 season and made an immediate impact in his jump to the professional ranks, scoring 8 goals and 13 points in 24 regular season games, before adding a goal and 4 points in the President’s Cup Playoffs. The native of Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia played three seasons of junior hockey in the MJAHL with the Pictou County Crushers in 2018-19 and Edmundston Blizzard between 2019-2021, scoring 58 goals and 105 points in 119 games. Chapman enrolled at Norwich University in 2021-22, where he played one season before transferring to Alvernia University. In 75 total collegiate games between 2021-2025, Chapman scored 27 goals and 58 points in 75 games.
Looking back at joining the Thunderbolts during the 2024-25 season, Chapman commented: “The experience was awesome, I just wanted to come in here and do what the team needed, and I was treated like a professional from the moment I walked in. Between the other players, the staff, and the fans, I saw how great the organization is. Winning a championship is always special, but there was something sweeter about doing it as an underdog. Being such a close group and being treated so well played a huge part in bringing the championship to Evansville.” On preparing for his first full professional season, Chapman kept his focus simple, saying: “I think I just need to stick to my process, don’t get too far ahead, focus on one day at a time. I want to be a player who is trusted to play in any situation.” Entering training camp, Chapman concluded by saying: “I’m super excited for this season, there is going to be a huge buzz in the city coming off last season’s championship. I think it’ll be huge for us to ride that momentum into the season and come out swinging.”
On re-signing Chapman, Head Coach Jeff Bes commented: “Isaac came in last year and gave us the adrenaline boost we needed. He is just a top notch guy that gelled instantly with our group. He can score goals and make plays, but it’s also what you don’t see that he does well; getting pucks out, backchecking, blocking shots, and the great energy he provides on the bench. We know he will build and grow his game even more this season.”
THUNDERBOLTS RE-SIGN FORWARD
Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the re-signing of forward Derek Contessa for the 2025-26 season. The Thunderbolts will raise their President’s Cup Championship banner prior to their 2025-26 home opener at Ford Center on Saturday, October 25th against the Quad City Storm.
Contessa returns for his second season with the Thunderbolts after joining Evansville as a free agent in the Summer of 2024, after playing his first professional season with the Macon Mayhem in 2023-24. In the 2024-25 regular season, Contessa scored 5 goals and 12 points in 45 games, bringing his SPHL regular season career total to 13 goals and 33 points in 93 games. The Freehold, New Jersey native elevated his play in the President’s Cup Playoffs, scoring two goals, including the double overtime game-winning goal in Game One of the final series in Knoxville, and three points in Evansville’s 7 games en route to the President’s Cup. Prior to 2023-24, Contessa played division one college hockey at Sacred Heart University from 2019-2021 and division three at Endicott College from 2021-2023. In juniors, Contessa played one season in the NAHL with the Shreveport Mud Bugs in 2017-18, where he won a Robertson Cup Championship, and the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL in 2018-19.
Reflecting on 2024-25, Contessa commented: “Joining the team last year, I was ecstatic to come to Evansville and play at Ford Center. I knew how great the town was and how professional of a building the Ford Center is. Once I got to Evansville and met the team, I knew we had something special. Winning any championship at any level is a feat to accomplish, and every team goes through ups and downs. We were really close, and we meshed so well together that we were unstoppable during the playoffs. We put all the pieces together, with the President’s Cup being the result, and winning the Cup is a memory that I will never forget.” Transitioning into 2025-26, Contessa continued: “(Winning the Cup) it’s something I want to replicate this year, and this year I want to finish in the top four of the standings going into the playoffs, giving ourselves more breathing room later in the regular season. I want to be unstoppable as a power forward and contribute more consistently in scoring, my training this Summer has been focused on that, and I am excited to see how it plays out during the season.” In closing, Contessa finished by saying: “My excitement level for this coming season is through the roof. I can’t wait to be with the team and see our fans again. The season is around the corner, and I can’t wait!”
On re-signing Contessa, Head Coach Jeff Bes commented: “Contessa really stepped up last season and especially in the postseason. He’s a big body who wins a lot of battles at the net-front and along the boards. He was a dominant force in the playoffs, and we are confident he will bring that consistency throughout the coming season.”
Mutts at Myriad: Alumni Pawty 2025
Newburgh, IN — Warrick Humane Society invites the community to join in celebration at the WHS Alumni Party on Sunday, October 26, from 12–3 PM at Myriad Brewing Company in Newburgh.
This special Mutts at Myriad event will celebrate the many pets who have found their forever homes through Warrick Humane Society, as well as the families and supporters who made those adoptions possible.
Guests can look forward to a variety of fun activities, including Paint With Your Pup, other dog-friendly games, a cookout and BBQ with meal options starting at $8, Puppy Snuggles, a WHS Pop-Up Shop, and the Building Hope Information Station where attendees can learn about Warrick Humane Society’s plans for a new shelter.
Meal options include a Hot Dog, Chips, and Drink for $8; a Hamburger or Veggie Burger, Chips, and Drink for $10; and a Pulled Pork Sandwich, Chips, and Drink for $12.
The event is open to everyone—WHS alumni, supporters, and all animal lovers are welcome.
UE to Host Notre Dame Expert for Talk on America’s Growing National Debt
EVANSVILLE, IND. (10/06/2025) University of Evansville (UE) in partnership with the Notre Dame Club of the Tri-State, will host a Hesburgh Lecture as part of its College of Business and Engineering Lecture Series on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. The event will feature Michael Pries, professor of economics and associate dean for the social sciences in the College of Arts & Letters at the University of Notre Dame.
The lecture, “U.S. National Debt: Why it has Grown, How it Impacts the Economy, and What Can Be Done to Fix It,”will take place in Room 162 of the Schroeder Family School of Business Administration. A reception will follow in the Dunigan Lounge.
Pries received his Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University and his bachelor’s degree in economics from Notre Dame. He joined the Notre Dame Department of Economics in 2007 after serving as an assistant professor at the University of Maryland. His primary research field is macroeconomics, with a particular focus on labor markets. At Notre Dame, he teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in macroeconomics, as well as Financial Economics, the first course in the Concentration in Financial Economics and Econometrics.
This event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged at this link.
Otters, Frontier League Reveal 2026 Schedule
EVANSVILLE, Ind – The Evansville Otters alongside the Frontier League are excited to reveal the regular season schedule for the 2026 season.
The Otters open the 2026 campaign with division rivals Florence and Washington, officially kicking off on the league’s early Opening Day on Thursday, May 7. There will be many opportunities to catch the Otters at Bosse FIeld to kick off the season as 12 of the first 15 games will be played at Bosse FIeld.
One of the most notable changes to the Frontier League schedule is the first 102-game season in league history (51 home games, 51 road games). All teams will play one additional week of games, pushing the final regular season games into Labor Day weekend. The playoff format remains the same, with four teams from each conference participating in the postseason.
The inter-conference slate includes a home series with Sussex County leading into the All-Star Week and a home series with New York at the end of July. Evansville only travels to one Atlantic Conference foe – a six-game series against the Down East Bird Dawgs to close the regular season. It will also mark the first-ever series between the two teams.
The 2026 Frontier League All-Star Game will be played in Florence, KY during the week of July 13-16, providing Evansville faithful a quick trip to see their All-Stars perform.
The Otters will travel to every Midwest Conference foe at least once – and make just one trip to Pearl, Miss. to face the division rival Mud Monsters – a six-game series to aid in travel logistics.
Due to a scheduling conflict for Windy City, there is one abnormality in the 2026 schedule. Evansville’s May 29-31 series at Windy City has been altered to a two-game series to be played on May 29 and 30. The extra game will now be part of a scheduled doubleheader of nine
USI 54th annual Madrigal Feaste returns December 4-7
The University of Southern Indiana Chamber Choir will host the 54th annual Madrigal Feaste Thursday through Sunday, December 4-7, in Carter Hall, located in University Center West on the USI campus. Performances will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, December 4-6, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m., and the Sunday, December 7 matinee performance will begin at 1 p.m. with doors opening at 12:30 p.m.
First performed in 1969 and USI’s most enduring musical tradition, the Madrigal Feaste takes guests back to 15th-century Ireland as the Choir entertains with selections of old English madrigals, Irish traditional folk songs and carols, as well as stirring choral selections for the holiday season. Performances combine vocal and instrumental music, dancing, drama, elegant Renaissance garb and fine dining.
For the past 30 years Daniel Craig, Associate Professor of Music and Director of the USI Chamber Choir, has led the Madrigal Feaste and has been an integral part of the College of Liberal Arts. For many years, he has taken students to Ireland to perform in iconic historical churches and New York City to perform in Carnegie Hall. He is planning some extra performances to mark his upcoming retirement.
“A reunion of former Chamber Choir members will take place prior to the Saturday night performance. Alumni will be singing with the current choir at the end of the performance,” says Craig. “It will be a nostalgic moment and a fun way to celebrate my last performances of the USI Madrigal Feaste.”
This year’s menu will include salad, soup of beef and barley, herb baked chicken and vegetables and bread pudding with rum sauce. Accommodations for dietary restrictions and allergies can be made during ticket purchase online or over the phone.
EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.