For Immediate Release:
March 30, 2019
DAWGS FLY BY PENSACOLA, 3-1
Jacob Caffrey stops 26 in Roanoke victory
ROANOKE, Va. – Jacob Caffrey made 26 saves, Jeff Jones had a goal and an assist and the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs defeated the Pensacola Ice Flyers, 3-1, Saturday night at Berglund Center. Roanoke’s victory was its third in a row.
The Rail Yard Dawgs struck first in the first period while working on a power play. Mac Jansen fed Jones below the net and he quickly hit Colin Murray for a one-timer from the left wing circle. Murray blasted it five hole on Brian Billett and the Dawgs grabbed a 1-0 lead.
They extended that lead later in the period as Alex Adams barreled down the left wing. He fed a pass in front that bounced off of Billett’s stick and caromed up toward the charging Cody Dion. The puck bounced off Dion’s body and into the net, extending the Roanoke advantage to 2-0.
It would tack another goal on late in the second period when Adrian Carbonara dug a puck out of the corner and sent a backhanded pass onto the stick of Steve Mele. Mele fired a shot on net that Billett blocked but left a rebound loose for Jones. Jones slung it low past Billett’s pad and the lead swelled to 3-0.
Meanwhile the Ice Flyers could not solve Caffrey. Despite outshooting the Dawgs, 9-1, in the third period, Pensacola did not crack the score sheet until there were just 23 seconds left in the game. Ryan Marcuz ripped a shot through traffic that snuck under Caffrey’s glove, spoiling the shutout.
That was all the Ice Flyers would manage however, as the Dawgs held on for the 3-1 victory. Caffrey finished with 26 saves on 27 shots, both Jones and Murray netted their 21st goals of the season and Mele extended his point streak to six games with an assist.
The Rail Yard Dawgs won their third in a row and improved to 27-23-4 while Pensacola fell to 25-23-6 in the loss. Roanoke will finish out its regular season on the road next weekend with a pair of games against the Birmingham Bulls. Friday night’s puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM CDT and the pregame show begins at 7:15 PM CDT on the Haley Toyota Rail Yard Dawgs Hockey Network.
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