Huntsville’s Defense Holds Firm, Defeating Roanoke 4-2 (10-17-25)
By: Joey Raymond
Headline Photo Credit: Katie Raymond-LMS Network
Roanoke, VA –The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs entered their 10th season of hockey with a fresh look and plenty of new faces, but the same hard-nosed energy that’s defined the franchise since day one. Opening night at Berglund Center marked the beginning of a new era — new logos, new jerseys, and a lineup with major turnover — as the Dawgs looked to prove that a rebrand didn’t mean a rebuild. The crowd was loud, the atmosphere electric, and anticipation was high to see how this refreshed group would stack up against one of the SPHL’s perennial contenders.
On the other side, the visiting Huntsville Havoc came in with unfinished business after last year’s early playoff exit. Head coach Stuart Stefan brought a roster full of experience and firepower — from All-SPHL scorer Austin Alger to captain Dominick Procopio and newly signed former ECHL MVP Josh Kestner — ready to make an early-season statement. Roanoke countered with familiar faces like Joe Widmar, Gustav Müller, and the returning Travis Broughman, all determined to kick off the team’s milestone season on the right note.
Let’s get into what happened on opening night at Berglund Center.
First Period
From the opening faceoff, it was clear that Roanoke came to set the tone physically. The Dawgs came out hitting everything in sight, matching the identity Head Coach Dan Bremner emphasized all offseason — hard-nosed, gritty, and relentless. Just minutes into the game, tempers boiled over in front of the Huntsville net, leading to an all-out scrum that nearly turned into a full-on brawl. Bodies piled up in the crease before Roanoke’s Bryce Martin and Huntsville’s Giovanni Procopio found each other in the chaos, eventually wrestling to the ice as Martin landed a few punches while holding Procopio in a headlock. The Berglund Center crowd absolutely erupted.
Both players were sent to the box for roughing, and after two minutes of 4-on-4, the sides returned to full strength. A few shifts later, Roanoke’s Andrew Harley was whistled for holding — giving the Havoc their first power play of the season — and Huntsville didn’t waste any time taking advantage. Matt Allen buried one just seconds into the man advantage to give the visitors a 1–0 lead midway through the frame.
The physical play only ramped up from there. With just over nine minutes remaining, another scrum broke out after the whistle, leading to multiple penalties. Roanoke’s Bryce Martin was tagged with an unsportsmanlike conduct call, while Huntsville’s Procopio and Allen each received two minutes for roughing — putting the Dawgs on the power play. The Havoc killed it off, but the bad blood didn’t fade. Moments later, more pushing and shoving led to offsetting roughing minors, giving fans two minutes of 4-on-4 action.
Both sides killed off their penalties without much trouble, and the period closed with Huntsville holding a 1–0 advantage in a chippy, physical opening frame that set the tone for the rest of the night.
Second Period
The second period picked up right where the first left off — physical, intense, and full of emotion. For a while, though, the scoreboard stayed quiet as both teams traded hits and scrums without much in the way of scoring chances. That changed with just over 13 minutes to play when Huntsville’s Craig McCabe was called for tripping, giving the Dawgs another shot on the power play.
Seventeen seconds before that penalty expired, the Havoc were hit with another one — this time, captain Dominick Procopio for high-sticking — extending the advantage and giving Roanoke new life. The Dawgs made it count. Joe Widmar finally broke through the Havoc’s defensive wall, firing one home to tie the game 1–1 and sending Berglund Center into a frenzy.
Moments later, things completely unraveled. With just under ten minutes remaining, two Havoc players tackled a Dawgs skater to the ice, sparking chaos and multiple scrums breaking out at once. When the dust settled, Roanoke’s Bryce Martin and Widmar, along with Huntsville’s Connor Fries and Cole Reginato, all headed to the box. After a lengthy review that felt like it lasted forever, the officials tacked on an additional roughing minor to Reginato — giving Roanoke another power play.
The Dawgs couldn’t get much going early, but that changed fast. Late in the man advantage, Andrew Harley broke free on a breakaway and completely fooled Huntsville goaltender Brian Wilson, burying the puck to give Roanoke its first lead of the night at 2–1.
The momentum seemed ready to swing fully in the Dawgs’ favor when Josh Kestner was sent off for slashing, and not even 30 seconds later, Huntsville took another penalty, giving Roanoke a full 5-on-3 for over a minute. The Dawgs called a timeout to regroup for the huge opportunity — but despite an onslaught of shots and sustained pressure, the Havoc managed to kill off both penalties to keep the deficit at one.
With 4:46 left in the period, C.J. Valerian laid a massive check on Kestner that sent him sprawling to the ice. While it looked like Kestner may have embellished a bit, Valerian was still called for elbowing, putting Huntsville back on the power play. Kestner stayed down for a couple of minutes but returned to the ice immediately after the penalty expired. As the clock wound down, another scuffle broke out with just seconds left on the kill — the latest sign that Roanoke was getting under Huntsville’s skin. Both teams sent a player to the box, and the period ended without further incident, the Dawgs still on top 2–1 after forty minutes of bruising hockey.
Third Period
Huntsville wasted no time making a statement to start the final frame. Just over a minute in, Austin Alger found the back of the net to even things up at 2–2, silencing the Berglund Center crowd and putting the pressure back on the Dawgs.
Moments later, tempers flared once again. After another heated exchange along the boards, Roanoke’s Bryce Martin and Huntsville’s Cole Reginato were both ejected from the game. Martin was also assessed an additional two minutes for fighting, with Tim Manning serving the extra penalty. Despite the disadvantage, Roanoke’s penalty kill stood tall and kept the game tied.
After that, play finally settled for a bit as both teams tightened up defensively. But with just over five minutes remaining, the Havoc broke through again. David Novotny found a soft spot in the Dawgs’ defense and rifled a shot past Austyn Roudebush to give Huntsville its first lead since the opening period. Two minutes later, Matt Allen struck again for the Havoc, his second of the night, stretching the lead to 4–2 and putting Roanoke in a deep hole late.
With time winding down, the Dawgs pulled Roudebush for the extra attacker in a last-ditch effort to spark a comeback. Despite several frantic looks, Huntsville’s defense held firm, and the final horn sounded on a 4–2 Roanoke loss — a tough way to open the 2025–26 season after a night filled with emotion, grit, and plenty of fireworks.
Final Thoughts
Opening night didn’t end the way Roanoke hoped, but there’s plenty to take away from this one. The Dawgs played with edge, intensity, and heart — all hallmarks of a Dan Bremner-led team. The physical tone was set early and never let up, and even with so many new faces in the lineup, the chemistry and fight were evident from puck drop.
The offense showed flashes of what it can become, especially with Joe Widmar and Andrew Harley finding the net, while the defensive core and penalty kill held strong through a chaotic, penalty-filled night. There’s no question that discipline will be a focus moving forward, but the compete level is right where it needs to be for a team looking to build momentum in its milestone 10th season.
This might not have been the result the Berglund Center faithful wanted, but the Dawgs made one thing clear — they’re not backing down from anyone this year.
