Rail Yard Dawgs Win In OT, Captures 5th Win Of The Season (11-11-23)

By: Joey Raymond

Headline Photo Credit: Katie Lovell-LMS Network

Roanoke, VA —The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs are back for a Veteran’s Day matchup against the Macon Mayhem. The Dawgs are coming into this game against the Mayhem after a tough road loss in Huntsville, Alabama last night. They did manage to gather a point against the Huntsville Havoc in that one, pulling the game into a shootout, which went into sudden death. On the other side of the ice, the Macon Mayhem come into this game off a tough loss in Birmingham, where they lost 1-4. We’ll see who can bounce back and snag a win in this one. Roanoke is in second place in the standings, Macon is in seventh place. They’re still a good squad though, and should bring a tough challenge to the Dawgs. 

First Period Recap: 

Both teams start kind of slow in this game, getting a feel for the ice and each other. Body blow and turnover after turnover these teams would battle it out in the first period. As the 10-minute mark hits, the only signs of life out of either squad are the 4 shots on goal from Macon, and the 1 shot on goal from Roanoke. We get some more action with 6:34 left to go as a fight breaks out on center ice. As per usual both Benden Pepe (Roanoke) and Mitchell Hale (Macon) will sit 5 minutes in the box for their indiscretions. The game would continue with both teams having 5 shots on goal. We’d come up on the two-minute mark with more of the same. The Dawgs would get some close shots on goal, but nothing for either team would make it past the goalies up to this point. The clock would hit all zeros and the only change on the scoreboard would be that both of these squads now have 6 shots on goal. 

Second Period Recap: 

After a long delay because of ice issues, the puck drops and the second period begins. This period starts with more of the same, the Mayhem get some quick shots on goal, but nothing gets passed. It’s not until a couple of seconds past the 11-minute mark we finally get a shot to go through. Roanoke’s Jacob Kelly sets and fires to the top shelf, hitting the goalkeeper’s water bottle and giving the Dawgs a 1-0 lead. Macon would try to lay on the pressure and tie it up, firing several quick shots on goal and controlling the puck. Macon would get one passed into the net, tying it up 1-1. The Dawgs wouldn’t let that stand though, bringing the puck back and getting into another fight with Macon. This time the skirmish would cause Macon to take a seat in the penalty box, putting the Dawgs on a power play. CJ Stubbs would take a rebounded puck and rocket it into the net on the goalkeeper’s stick side. The Dawgs would take a 2-1 lead thanks to the power play goal. As we hit the 1:32 mark on the clock, the Dawgs would get another chance to go on the power play, as Macon gets called for hooking. Time would hit all zeros before we got to see the resolution of the power play. 

Third Period Recap: 

The Dawgs get to start the period with the man advantage, thanks to the power play continuing from the previous period. The Dawgs would come out firing but ultimately Macon would kill the power play, keeping the score at 2-1. The low-scoring, hard-hitting affair would continue, as several minutes drained off the clock. We’d get a scuffle around the 11-minute mark that would send Roanoke into the penalty box as they get called for slashing. That would send the Mayhem on the power play. Roanoke would successfully kill off the penalty though, keeping the score right where it was at 2-1. Another couple of minutes would pass before Macon would get a massive hit on the Dawgs, resulting in a boarding penalty. This would put the Dawgs on a huge power play. They can’t convert the penalty into points though, as Macon would kill the penalty. Not even a minute after the penalty kill, Roanoke would get a turn to sit in the penalty box. A huge call with only 1:14 left on the clock. Macon would need to score to bring it into overtime, this penalty gives them a great chance to do so. Showers of “let’s go Dawgs” chants rain down on the ice. Unfortunately for Dawgs fans though, Macon would bury a shot into the back of the net, tying the game with only 23 seconds left on the clock. The clock would hit all zeros, as we headed into overtime. 

Overtime Recap: 

We head to three-on-three hockey in a quick 5 minute period as we try to determine the winner of this game. If we’re still tied at the end of the 5 minutes, we’ll head to a shootout. It only takes 47 seconds before Roanoke would get a breakaway. Xavier Filion would break free off of a turnover and launch the puck into the goalkeeper’s glove side and the back of the net. This would seal the win for Roanoke, with a final score of 3-2. 

What’s Next? 

The winning Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs grab their 5th win of the year giving them a 5-1-1 record. Macon drops another, giving them a 3-3-1 record. Roanoke will head to Peoria to take on the Rivermen in their barn on the 17 and 18th of November. Roanoke has a long history with Peoria and it’s safe to say they do not like each other. They’ve met in the playoffs on multiple occasions. Needless to say, it should make for a great couple of games. Macon will head on to Pensacola to take on the Ice Flyers, who have turned it on of late, finding themselves in third place currently. Both teams played a great game tonight, and both teams will at least pick up a point in the standings for their efforts, the Dawgs bring home the two points though, hoping to work themselves back into a position to take the top spot in the standings.