MOLINE, IL. – The Rail Yard Dawgs (23-12-3) held off a late comeback attempt, beating the Quad City Storm (15-22-2) 2-1 on Friday night at Vibrant Arena at the Mark. Illinois native Matt O’Dea scored both goals, while Austyn Roudebush made 32 saves in net for Roanoke.
Roanoke jumped ahead early, as an O’Dea shot put the Dawgs on the board at the 3:33 mark. The Dawgs controlled most of the period, outshooting the Storm 11-8, but the lone goal by Roanoke’s speedy defenseman made the score 1-0 at the first intermission.
The second period saw the game become extremely chippy – with 38 combined penalty minutes, two fights, and a game misconduct. Roanoke’s C.J. Valerian fought Tommy Tsicos, and Quad City’s Eliott St-Pierre was fed a few right-handed knuckle sandwiches by Roanoke’s Nick Ford. Ford received a game misconduct for continuing altercation, and the Storm began to find confidence as their physical play swung the momentum. Roanoke’s defense held the Storm at bay, and the Dawgs led by one entering the final period.
The Dawgs doubled their lead just past the halfway point of the third period, when O’Dea tipped a long-range shot by Stephen Alvo into the net at 10:12. Quad City quickly answered on a nice wrister by Davis Kirkendall at 11:35, and Roanoke was forced to defend its zone for most of the remaining clock. Roudebush was phenomenal, thwarting a few good chances down the stretch to get the Dawgs to the finish line with the win.
Quad City’s Kevin Resop saved 25-of-27 shots for the Storm. The Dawgs were 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Storm went 0-for-4.
Roanoke will stay on the road tomorrow, February 18 at 8:10 p.m. EST to face the Quad City Storm at Vibrant at the Mark Arena. 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: Brian Collett // BC Captures