Rail Yard Dawgs Start The Defense Of Their Championship On The Right Foot (10-20-23)
By: Joey Raymond
All Photo Credit: Katie Lovell-LMS Network
Banner Night in Star City!
The championship banner has been raised in what can only be described as an electric atmosphere in the Berglund Center. The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs have waited for this day for what feels like an eternity. Tonight we start fresh, a brand new season with new hopes and dreams. Dreams for most teams end in championship aspirations. The Dawgs are no different in that aspect, however, the Dawgs are looking to repeat. A feat that is rarely done in sports period, let alone hockey. They match up tonight against the Fayetteville Marksman. A team who finished with 60 points last season, made it into the playoffs, only to be bounced in the first round by the Birmingham Bulls. They have a ton of desire to go back to the playoffs and get past that first round. These two teams make for a great matchup on paper, let’s see how that translates to the game.
First Period Recap:
The puck drops in the ‘Star City’ and we’re off! The arena is at a fever pitch as the puck rockets down the ice. We get action early as a fight breaks out between Roanoke’s Steven Leonard and Fayetteville’s Anthony Yurkins at just under 3 minutes in. The arena hits a fever pitch as Leonard heads to the penalty box raising his hands and egging the crowd on to get louder. A fight just a couple of minutes in? I don’t think you could start a hockey season in a better fashion. The game progresses and we see our next piece of action at the 11:09 mark as Fayetteville gets called for an interference penalty and the Dawgs get to go on the power play for the first time this season. Unfortunately for the Dawgs, nothing would come of this penalty as they struggled to even get shots on goal during the power play. Fayetteville would get called for another penalty with 6:29 left in the period, this time for roughing, giving the Dawgs another chance on the power play. The Dawgs capitalize this time, as Jacob Kelly buries the puck under the goalie and into the back of the net. Roanoke would take a 1-0 lead on the score. Both teams would get some big licks and shots on goal, but nothing would come to fruition for the rest of the first period.
Second Period Recap:
We head into the second period with the Dawgs trying to advance their 1-0 lead. Both teams would come out firing early in the period, putting up multiple shots on goal. The goalies on both sides would put on a defensive show, not letting anything pass through the first several minutes of the period. Fayetteville would take yet another seat in the penalty box at the 15:22 mark, as the Marksmen got called for high sticking. Roanoke would not be denied this power play either. CJ Stubbs drills a shot off the goal post and into the net, giving the Dawgs a 2-0 lead. Things are relatively quiet until the Marksmen yet again, find their way into the penalty box. Fayetteville would get called for slashing and spend yet another 2 minutes short-handed. The Dawgs would come up short this time though, leaving the score at 2-0. A couple of minutes would pass before the Dawgs would get called for their first penalty of the game. Micheal Greco gets called for roughing, sending the Marksmen on their first power play of the game. Fayetteville would not be able to capitalize on the man advantage. The period comes to a close shortly thereafter, with the Dawgs still on top.
Third Period Recap:
The third period starts with several turnovers and lots of trips back and forth on the ice. We see our first bit of activity 5 minutes in when the Dawgs get sent to the penalty box for the second time in this game. Roanoke got called for slashing, sending the Marksmen back on the power play. The Marksmen would fall short on the power play once again, as the Dawgs’ penalty kill would prove to be too much this time around. Several minutes, and several close calls, as both teams berate the goalies, getting a ton of shots on goal, but nothing goes in. Defense truly reigned supreme as we drew closer to a finish as the clock hit 5:29 left in the game. 2 more minutes passed when Steven Alvo slapped a shot into the net off of a rebound off the goalie, giving Roanoke another goal and a 3-0 lead. This one felt like a dagger in the hearts of the Marksmen. Not even a minute later the Dawgs fired off another shot into the back of the net. This time coming off the stick of Josh Nenadal into the top shelf, giving the Dawgs a 4-0 lead. This also prompts a change in net, as the backup goalie of Fayetteville has to come in. Time expires under a sea of “Let’s go Dawgs” chants. Roanoke pulls out a hard-fought win in the season opener.
What’s Next:
The Fayetteville Marksmen and the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs both head down to Fayetteville to finish a home-and-home series. That game will be Fayetteville’s home opener, on Saturday, October 21st. Both of those teams will head into that game with a 1-0 and 0-1 record respectively. Roanoke has several areas that they can improve on, but this game shows that despite adversity, the Dawgs can still play at a championship level. They’ll need to show that they can do that against a more competitive group, but this game presents a lot of hope for Dawgs fans.
