For Immediate Release:
December 14, 2018
CAFFREY, DAWGS, HALT ICE BEARS, 3-2
Jacob Caffrey makes 49 saves in Roanoke victory
KNOXVILLE, Tn. – Jacob Caffrey made 49 saves, Colin Murray scored the eventual game-winning goal and the Rail Yard Dawgs edged the Knoxville Ice Bears, 3-2, Friday night at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.
With the game tied at two early in the third, Murray found a loose puck in the attacking zone and carried it toward the net. He ripped a backhander that snuck through Michael Santaguida’s blocker and the Dawgs took the lead.
Knoxville had peppered Caffrey with shots throughout the game and ramped up the pressure in the final minutes. It pulled Santaguida for the extra attacker with a minute and a half remaining and used the spare skater to create plenty of chances. Caffrey stopped every shot though, including a full-extension diving stick save at the final horn as Roanoke held on for the 3-2 win.
Caffrey faced 51 shots and stopped all but two. His 49 saves are a career high and the most by a Dawgs goaltender this year. Roanoke was outshot, 51-34, in the win.
The Rail Yard Dawgs opened the scoring late in the first period while skating four-on-four. Jordan Carvalho slid a pass to Nate O’Brien who carried it into the slot. He fired a wrist shot that beat Santaguida high on the blocker side to make it 1-0 with just over a minute to play.
Roanoke added to that lead in the final seconds of the period. Mac Jansen gathered the puck in the neutral zone and sprinted down the left wing. With only a second on the clock, he let loose a snapper that flew past Santaguida and popped the goaltender’s water bottle as it hit the net, extending the Dawgs lead to 2-0.
Knoxville answered with a pair of goals in the second, both of which came on the power play. First, Lucas Bombardier gathered a rebound and stuffed it past Caffrey to put Knoxville on the board. Later, while working with a two-man advantage, Danny Cesarz was set up for a one-timer that he snuck past Caffrey on the near post and the game was tied.
The Dawgs improved to 8-9-0 with the win, the third in their past four games. Knoxville moved to 7-7-2 in the loss. Roanoke will return home to take on the Fayetteville Marksmen at 7:05 PM on Saturday night. It’s the Dawgs’ annual Teddy Bear Toss game, sponsored by Allstate Gillespie Agencies, and the team will be wearing ugly sweater jerseys that will be auction off after the game. The pregame show on the Haley Toyota Rail Yard Dawgs Hockey Network begins at 6:50 PM.
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