MACON, GA. – The Rail Yard Dawgs (30-13-5) grinded their way to a gritty road victory on Saturday night, taking a 3-1 result over the Macon Mayhem (20-26-3) at the Macon Coliseum. Joe Widmar had three points (1 G, 2 A), Nick Ford took the SPHL points lead (1 G, 1 A), Bryce Martin added a goal, Tim Manning recorded his first professional point, and Austyn Roudebush stopped 16-of-17 shots faced in net for Roanoke.
The Dawgs had a much stronger effort from the opening puck drop on Saturday, outshooting Macon 9-6 in the first 20 minutes and keeping most of the action in Mayhem territory in the first frame. Macon’s defensive workrate in its own zone prevented Roanoke from getting many good looks, despite the fact that the Dawgs held possession of the puck for most of the first period. The lone goal came when the Dawgs had an early mistake during a line change that sprung Macon’s Zack Nazzarett on a wide-open breakaway chance. Nazzarett potted the puck in the top-right corner of the Roanoke net at 3:19 to put the hosts in front. That proved to be the only tally for either team heading into the first intermission, as Roanoke trailed 1-0.
Early in the second period, Roanoke found a huge break – Macon’s Justin Kelley hit the crossbar, and within the next half of a minute, Roanoke’s Manning blocked a shot out to neutral ice. Manning chased down the loose puck, had Widmar chasing up to the Macon zone to create a 2-on-1 chance, and the rookie Manning teed Widmar up perfectly for the tying goal at 5:12. The Dawgs would kill off a Macon power play chance halfway through the frame, then Jake Goldowski received a five-minute major and a match penalty for the Mayhem after he kneed Carson Gallagher at 17:03. That gave Roanoke a five-minute major power play, but the Dawgs were unable to score prior to the second intermission. The game was still tied at 1-1 after 40 minutes.
The Dawgs failed to capitalize on the major power play that extended into the final frame, but found some momentum during the opening moments of the third period. They would finally find a breakthrough at 6:17 on an offensive zone faceoff win. Ford would tip a shot that was fired from the right-wing point by Valerian to give the Dawgs a 2-1 lead. From there, the ice seemed tilted for the Dawgs, as they continued to mount pressure. At 8:06, Widmar stopped at the left-wing circle and found Martin hauling through the slot, and Martin would smash the puck to the roof of the net to give Roanoke a two-goal advantage. The game became chippy down the stretch, but the Dawgs only conceded three shots on goal throughout the entire third period as they prevailed for a 3-1 win to split the weekend.
Josh Boyko stopped 24-of-27 shots faced in net for the Mayhem. The Dawgs went 0-for-1 on the power play, while the Mayhem went 0-for-2 on their chances.
The Rail Yard Dawgs return home on Friday, March 21 against the Knoxville Ice Bears at Berglund Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 P.M. EST in the Star City. 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: Bryan Meeks