For Immediate Release:
January 21, 2017
DAWGS EDGED BY HAVOC, 3-2
James Kruger makes 49 saves in the loss
HUNTSVILLE, Ala – James Kruger made 49 saves and Phil Tesoriero had a pair of assists but the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs were defeated by the Huntsville Havoc, 3-2, Saturday night at the Von Braun Center. The loss snapped Roanoke’s four-game point streak
With the game tied at two in the third period, John Clewlow and Jordan Wood gained the zone with a 2-on-1 rush for the Havoc. Clewlow saucered a pass to Wood who one-touched it past the lunging Kruger to put Huntsville on top, 3-2.
Roanoke opened the scoring just over three minutes into the first as Colin Murray took the puck even with the goal line and fed Daniel Vernace streaking toward the net. Vernace’s initial shot was blocked by Adam Courchaine but he corralled the rebound and banged it into the net to give the Rail Yard Dawgs a 1-0 lead.
The Havoc answered later in the period while working on the power play. With Sy Nutkevitch camped in from of the Roanoke net, Andy Willigar fired a shot from the point. Nutkevitch stuck his stick out and redirected the puck past Kruger to get Huntsvile on the board.
The Dawgs regained the lead just over three minutes later as Mike Moroso sped down the left wing and snapped a shot on net. Courchaine made the save with his pad but left a juicy rebound for the trailing Maxim Chegrintsev. In one motion, Chegrintsev gathered the rebound and slung it past Courchaine to put Roanoke on top, 2-1.
At the midway point of the second, Clewlow sprung Christian Powers for a breakaway. He glided in and fired a wrister five hole on Kruger, evening the score at two.
Huntsville put 20 shots on net in the second and 21 in the third. The Havoc out-shot the Rail Yard Dawgs, 41-22 over the final two periods.
Over his last two games, Kruger has made 99 saves on 105 shots against. Tesoriero’s two assists represented his first multi-point game this season. Both Massimo Lamacchia and Nick Schneider were held off the scoresheet, snapping their respective point streaks at six games.
Roanoke fell to 9-14-5 with the loss while the Havoc improved to 23-6-1. The Rail Yard Dawgs will return home to the Roanoke Valley on Sunday to host the Columbus Cottonmouths. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:05 PM at the Berglund Center.
2017-18 Rail Yard Dawgs season tickets are on sale now! Seats can be reserved by visiting the Rail Yard Dawgs office inside of the Berglund Center or over the phone at 540-344-3294.
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