The Rail Yard Dawgs scored a late goal and had a few chances to tie the game late in the third period, but couldn’t take a point away from Evansville in a 2-1 road loss to the Thunderbolts. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Dawgs and a seven-game point streak dating back to October 29.
Brant Sherwood scored his second goal in as many games and fifth goal in Roanoke’s last four games at the 17:32 mark of the third period, but it was too little too late for the Dawgs.
Evansville’s Tim Faulkner opened the scoring at the 8:25 mark of the first period to put the Bolts up 1-0. Six seconds after play resumed, Sean Leonard and Cameron Cook received offsetting roughing penalties that gave us some four-on-four action. Roanoke killed off the only penalty of the period, a tripping call against Jeff Jones, and the score was still 1-0 at the first intermission.
The Bolts started the second period off hot, as Charles Barber fired a deep blast by Roanoke’s Austyn Roudebush to double Evansville’s advantage at the 1:12 mark of the middle stanza. Roudebush was forced off at the first media timeout of the game due to an apparent injury, and Roanoke’s Brody Claeys guarded the net the rest of the way. Three Roanoke penalties within 5:12 of each other yielded three Evansville power plays, but the Dawgs stood tall and kept the game within reach as the second period ended with the score 2-0.
Roanoke applied pressure in the final period, outshooting the Bolts 9-2 in the final 20 minutes. Both teams failed to capitalize on one power play chance each, as Roanoke went 0-for-1 on the man advantage in the game while forcing Evansville to go 0-for-5. Sherwood skated through a trio of Evansville skaters and shot the puck on the net, where it was deflected off of the stick of Brandon Lubin and over the shoulder of Evansville’s Kai Edmonds in the net. Travis Armstrong and Josh Nenadal were credited with assists, and Roanoke had life. Despite a handful of good chances in the closing minute of the games, the Dawgs were unable to find the game-tying goal, losing 2-1.
Austyn Roudebush saved 17-of-19 shots before exiting the game, and Claeys saved all nine shots he faced for the Dawgs. Edmonds was credited with 23 saves on Roanoke’s 24 shots in the game.
Roanoke will travel to Fayetteville to take on the Marksmen on Wednesday night, before hosting them at Berglund Center on Friday night. That game on November 26 will be Roanoke Express Tribute Night sponsored by Carilion Clinic with Q99, and Roanoke will wear three different specialty jerseys in the game. Season tickets, Wisler Plumbing and Air Family Four Packs, group tickets, and single game tickets are on sale now for future home games, and you can listen to the game on the Haley Toyota Rail Yard Dawgs Hockey Network via Mixlr or watch it on HockeyTV.