MACON, GA. – The Rail Yard Dawgs (21-9-5) forced overtime again, but were just short in a 3-2 road loss to the Macon Mayhem (9-21-5) at the Macon Coliseum on Friday night. Brenden Stanko and Billy Roche scored goals for Roanoke, as Macon beat Roanoke for the first time since December 11, 2021.
Both teams took time to find their footing in the first period, but both teams were held scoreless in the opening 20 minutes. The most notable opportunities were when Roanoke’s Bailey Morrissette dinged the post once for Roanoke, and a partial breakaway chance for Macon’s Rhett Kingston that wasn’t converted. The Dawgs outshot the Mayhem 10-9, but it was still 0-0 at the first intermission.
The second period was a tale of three phases. The first eight minutes were dominated by the Dawgs, as Roanoke recorded nine of the first 11 shots on goal in the frame. An early power play goal to start the period led to a Stephen Alvo shot that was saved, only for Stanko to clean up the rebound to open the scoring at 0:54. With about 12 minutes left in the period, Macon completely flipped the momentum. It started when a defensive zone turnover by the Dawgs quickly led to a tying goal by Tommy Munichiello at 10:03. Then the Mayhem hit Roanoke in transition on a neutral zone turnover by the Dawgs, and Rhett Kingston tucked in the centering pass by Dan Winslow to make it a 2-1 lead for Macon at 11:25. Once Macon took the lead, both teams kept the high tempo up for the remainder of the period. The Dawgs couldn’t find a tying goal, and Macon took the 2-1 lead into the locker room at the second intermission.
The Dawgs would find a tying goal in the third period as they have so many times this season. At 8:03, Alvo found Roche above the left-wing circle, and Roche uncorked a perfect shot to the top right corner of the net to make it a 2-2 game. The Dawgs had chances late in regulation, with two power play opportunities that included one advantage that would carry into overtime, but it was still 2-2 at the end of 60 minutes. The Dawgs began the overtime with a 4-on-3 man advantage, and Macon not only killed off the penalty, but quickly snatched the victory once the Mayhem got back to full strength. A long carom on a Roanoke shot came out for Kingston, and his centering pass in transition was steered home by Tanner Nagel at 1:42 to give the Mayhem their first win over Roanoke in their last 15 tries (had gone 0-12-2 in prior 14 meetings).
Roanoke’s Tyler Roy saved 26-of-29 shots faced for Roanoke, while Jimmy Poreda saved 35-of-37 shots faced for Macon. Roanoke went 1-for-3 on the power play, while Macon didn’t receive a power play chance.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will stay on the road on Saturday night, February 3, to take on the Birmingham Bulls. Puck drop is slated for 8:00 P.M. EST at the Pelham Civic Complex, and you can watch the game on Flo or listen for free on Mixlr. Ticket packages, group tickets, and single game tickets are on sale now by contacting the Rail Yard Dawgs office or visiting the Berglund Center box office.
Photo Credit: Katie Lovell (Legacy Maker Sports Network)