ROANOKE, VA. – The Rail Yard Dawgs cruised to a 5-2 win over the Macon Mayhem on Roanoke Express Tribute Night on Veterans Day at Berglund Center. Billy Vizzo scored twice, while Mac Jansen and Travis Broughman notched one goal a piece, and CJ Stubbs had a Gordie Howe Hat Trick with a goal, an assist, and a fight.
The first period was a great start for Roanoke, as Jansen potted a rebound off of a Broughman shot to give the Dawgs the lead just 32 seconds into the game. The pair flipped roles for Roanoke’s second at 15:16, with Broughman poking home a rebound from a Jansen shot. The Dawgs took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
The physicality turned up a notch in the second period, and Vizzo put Roanoke ahead by three on yet another rebound from a Chris Vella shot at 5:29. Macon wouldn’t go away, as a Rourke Russell power play score at 8:17 and a Kyle Soper breakaway finish at 10:00 brought the Mayhem within one suddenly. An incredible fight between Vella and Macon’s Timothy Faulkner was included in a slew of penalties that gave the Dawgs a power play at 14:30, and Stubbs quickly scored off of the faceoff to give Roanoke a 4-2 lead. Stubbs fought Macon’s Troy Murray late in the period, and the Dawgs took their two-goal cushion into the final intermission.
The third period was still well-contested, and included 13 more penalties combined between the two teams. Vizzo’s power play tally on a centering feed by Nick Ford at 6:43 made it 5-2. The two teams combined for 73 shots and 84 penalty minutes, with 32 total infractions in the game.
Brody Claeys stopped 34-of-36 shots faced for the Dawgs, while Josh Benson made 32 saves on 37 shots faced for the Mayhem. Roanoke went 2-for-6 on the power play, while Macon went 1-for-3 on its chances.
Roanoke will be on the road starting next Friday, November 18, at 8:00 p.m. EST, as the Dawgs take on the Huntsville Havoc at Von Braun Center. You can watch the game on HockeyTV or listen for free on Mixlr. Season tickets and single-game tickets are available by calling the Rail Yard Dawgs office, visiting the ‘Tickets’ page on our website, or by visiting the Berglund Center box office.
Photo Credit: Paula Greenway