FAYETTEVILLE, NC. – The Rail Yard Dawgs came back late to force overtime, then finished a weekend sweep in a 4-3 win over the Fayetteville Marksmen at Crown Coliseum. Jacob Kelly tallied the game-winner in overtime, while Steven Leonard, Xavier Filion, and Alex DiCarlo added goals for Roanoke.
Both teams struggled to find cohesion in the first half of the opening period before Fayetteville went on its first power play of the game. Leonard dispossessed Fayetteville’s Bryan Moore in neutral ice and ripped the puck into the net at 11:51 to open the scoring on a shorthanded goal. Roanoke conceded another power play, and Brody Claeys was forced to make 15 saves in the first 20 minutes, but the Dawgs led 1-0 at the first intermission.
Fayetteville continued to push the tempo in the second period, rattling off 17 shots in the frame. A few minutes after a Moore versus Sean Leonard fight, the Marksmen went on their third power play of the game and finally capitalized to make it 1-1 at the 14:00 mark. That score was shortlived, as Filion’s first pro goal in his pro debut reinstated Roanoke’s lead at 14:59. The Dawgs had a late power play in the period, but the score remained 2-1 heading into the third period.
An additional Fayetteville penalty for obscene language gave the Dawgs an additional power play to start the third period, but Roanoke came up empty. Immediately after getting back to full strength, Fayetteville drew a penalty and added another power play goal to make it 2-2 at the 2:56 mark. The action remained back-and-forth until the Marksmen took the lead at the 13:03 point. Fayetteville’s first lead of the year didn’t even last two minutes, as a Nick Ford shot on the power play bounced off the body of DiCarlo to tie the score at 3-all at 14:48. That score stayed intact heading into overtime.
Roanoke found the breakthrough when Bruno Kreisz won a defensive zone faceoff that Stephen Alvo carried to the Marksmen zone. Alvo’s wrist shot rattled off of Faytteville’s Michael Herringer and into the path of Kelly, who sealed the weekend sweep for the visitors.
Claeys saved 39-of-42 shots faced for Roanoke, while Fayetteville’s Herringer saved 23-of-27 shots. The Dawgs were 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Marksmen went 2-for-4.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will travel to Quad City next week to take on the Storm in a weekend doubleheader. The puck drops at 8:10 P.M. EST on Friday, October 27, and you can watch the game on Flo or listen for free on Mixlr. Season tickets, group tickets, and single game tickets are on sale now by contacting the Rail Yard Dawgs office or visiting the Berglund Center box office.
Photo Credit: Ryan Hunt