For Immediate Release:
November 10, 2017
DAWGS EDGED BY RIVERKINGS IN OT, 4-3
Roanoke scores three times in third period to force OT
ROANOKE, VA – The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs scored three times in the third period to force overtime but were ultimately defeated by the Mississippi RiverKings, 4-3, Friday night at the Berglund Center.
Trailing 2-0 after the second intermission, the Rail Yard Dawgs came out of the locker room flying to begin the third. Off the opening faceoff, Mike Moroso got the puck into the right wing corner and sent a centering pass to the front of the net. It bounced off a RiverKing skate and trickled in to cut the deficit to one.
Later in the period, the RiverKings took back-to-back penalties that resulted in a 5-on-3 man advantage for the Dawgs. Roanoke was able to make them pay. Colin Murray lofted a pass in front of the net where Mitchell Mueller blasted the puck past Tyler Green, evening the score at two.
The tie wouldn’t last long though. On the next shift, Mississippi dumped the puck into the corner and Ryan de Melo left his net to play it. His clearing attempt was intercepted at the blue line by Matt Harrington who fed the puck in front to Derek Sutliffe for an easy tuck-in goal.
Roanoke would not go away however. While working on a power play late in regulation, Riley Spraggs made a nifty move to get around a defender in the neutral zone. He carried the puck in deep and found Viktor Tiutchenko for a tap-in goal on the back post that tied the game at three.
In the final moments of regulation, Nick Schneider was whistled for a tripping penalty that sent the Dawgs into overtime a man down. Mississippi was able to cash in when Devin Mantha fed Ryan Marcuz for a deflection that beat de Melo and gave the RiverKings a 4-3 victory.
Mississippi jumped out to its 2-0 lead with goals from Vytal Cote in the first and Richard Coyne in the second. Moroso led the Rail Yard Dawgs with a goal and an assist and de Melo made 23 saves on 27 shots in the loss. Tedesco and Sutliffe each finished with a goal and an assist for the RiverKings.
The Rail Yard Dawgs moved to 1-3-1 with the overtime loss while Mississippi improved to 3-2-0. They’ll meet again on Saturday night at the Berglund Center for Hockey Fights Cancer night presented by Carilion Clinic and WROV. The first 750 fans through the door will receive a Rail Yard Dawgs scarf and the team will be wearing specialty jerseys to be auctioned off after the game. Puck drop between the Dawgs and RiverKings is scheduled for 7:05 PM.
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