ROANOKE, VA. – The Rail Yard Dawgs (30-14-5) struggled to get into a rhythm on Friday night, falling 2-1 to the Knoxville Ice Bears (23-22-6) at Berglund Center. C.J. Valerian scored for the Dawgs, Ryan Reifler had his first professional point with an assist, and Austyn Roudebush stopped 26-of-28 shots faced in net for Roanoke as the Dawgs saw their eight-game home winning streak come to an end.
Roanoke had some big hits and good looks in the opening frame, outshooting Knoxville 12-7 in the first 20 minutes. The Ice Bears went on the power play after Roanoke’s Bryce Martin was called for tripping, and the Dawgs had a strong penalty kill. But in the final seconds of being shorthanded, a blocked shot by the Dawgs fell right to Knoxville’s Eric Olson for an easy tally at 16:51 to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Knoxville captain Jimmy Soper would commit an interference penalty as the period concluded, putting the Dawgs on the power play to start the middle frame.
The Dawgs failed to capitalize on the man-advantage chance that started the second period, but would eventually find the game’s tying goal. Valerian dumped the puck into the Knoxville zone, it found Brenden Stanko at the right-wing wall, and Stanko centered the puck to the high slot for a one-time smash by Valerian to tie the game at 10:51. Another rebound chance for the Ice Bears would reinstate the lead for the visitors, as rookie Jason Brancheau potted a second chance effort at 15:58 to make it 2-1. Knoxville won the majority of faceoffs in the period, creating many offensive zone looks with a 13-8 shots on goal advantage during the frame, and the Ice Bears took the lead into the intermission again.
The third period saw the Dawgs pinned down by two penalty kills and some four-on-four action, and at one point Knoxville was outshooting Roanoke 8-4. Roanoke’s best chance came from a shorthanded turnover forced by Tommy Munichiello with roughly six minutes remaining, and his breakaway shot hit the crossbar and bounced out. The Dawgs would get a late power play chance and would pull Roudebush, but couldn’t find a tying goal as the Ice Bears beat Roanoke for the first time in their last eight tries.
Stephen Mundinger stopped 26-of-27 shots faced in net for the Ice Bears. The Dawgs went 0-for-1 on the power play, while the Ice Bears went 1-for-3 on their chances.
The Rail Yard Dawgs hit the road on Saturday, March 22 against the Fayetteville Marksmen at Crown Coliseum. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 P.M. EST in North Carolina. Single game tickets for the season are on sale now online and at Berglund Center box office, and playoff packages for the 2025 President’s Cup Playoffs are on sale now through the Rail Yard Dawgs’ front office.
Photo Credit: Michele Hancock