Roanoke Blanks Birmingham, 6-0, to Advance in President’s Cup Playoffs (4-11-26)
By: Joey Raymond
Headline Photo Credit: 3780 Media-LMS Network
Roanoke, VA — It wasn’t always pretty, and it certainly wasn’t always consistent from the officiating crew, but the result was crystal clear by the final horn. The Roanoke Dawgs delivered a commanding, all-phase performance, shutting out the Birmingham Bulls 6-0 to punch their ticket forward in the President’s Cup Playoffs.
From timely scoring to relentless penalty killing, Roanoke controlled the night—and never let Birmingham find a foothold.
First Period: Dawgs Strike First Amid Early Chaos
The tone was set early, though not without controversy. Just under three minutes in, David Novotny was sent to the box for a questionable slashing call, setting off frustration as post-whistle activity from Birmingham went unpenalized.
Instead of letting it spiral, Roanoke responded.
At the 11:53 mark, Gustav Muller broke through, finding the back of the net to give the Dawgs a 1-0 lead and inject life into the Berglund Center crowd. The momentum swing was immediate—even as Roanoke found themselves back on the penalty kill shortly after on another Novotny minor.
The Dawgs’ penalty kill unit stood tall, turning away Birmingham’s chances with composure. Late in the period, Parker Saretsky’s holding penalty gave Roanoke a power play opportunity, but the Bulls survived the scare.
Still, Roanoke carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission—and more importantly, control of the game’s tempo.
Second Period: Short-Handed Dominance Breaks It Open
If the first period belonged to Roanoke, the second buried Birmingham.
After a brief stretch of 4-on-4 hockey stemming from matching penalties, Joe Windmar found himself back in the box, giving Birmingham another power play opportunity.
That’s when Dominiks Marcinkevics delivered the turning point.
On the penalty kill, Marcinkevics leveled a defender, stole the puck, and rifled a shot top shelf for a short-handed goal—doubling the Dawgs’ lead to 2-0 and completely deflating the Bulls.
Roanoke wasn’t done.
Despite another questionable penalty—this time an illegal check to the head call on Travis Broughman—the Dawgs continued to dominate special teams. Later in the period, while killing yet another penalty, Noah Finstrom added a second short-handed goal, extending the lead to 3-0.
Two short-handed goals. Total control.
Even as penalties stacked up on both sides, Roanoke’s discipline within the chaos stood out. They killed everything Birmingham threw their way and entered the second intermission firmly in command.
Third Period: Dawgs Finish the Job
Any hope of a Birmingham comeback was erased early in the third.
After navigating a brief 4-on-4 and another penalty sequence, David Novotny—who had been at the center of multiple calls throughout the night—found redemption, scoring to make it 4-0.
From there, it became a showcase.
Gustav Muller netted his second goal of the night with 6:37 remaining, pushing the lead to 5-0 and putting the game well out of reach. Even late penalties by Birmingham couldn’t slow the Dawgs, as Sebastian Smith capped off the scoring with just over a minute left, sealing the 6-0 final.
Between the Pipes: Roudebush Stands Tall
Lost in the offensive explosion—but equally important—was the performance of Austyn Roudebush.
Calm, composed, and consistent, Roudebush turned away every Birmingham opportunity to secure the shutout. Behind a strong defensive effort and elite penalty killing in front of him, he was the final piece in a complete team win.
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