ROANOKE, VA. – The Rail Yard Dawgs (18-8-3) took control of the game early and never looked back, easing past the Macon Mayhem (7-17-5) during a 5-2 win at Berglund Center on Thursday night. Mac Jansen, Jacob Kelly, Billy Roche, Alex DiCarlo, and Dom Marcinkevics scored for the Dawgs, as Roanoke beat Macon for the 13th consecutive time in the series (streak dates back to December 2021).
Roanoke came out dominating play in the first period, tallying 10 of the game’s first 11 shots on goal and outshooting the Mayhem 16-5 in the frame. After a plethora of good looks, it was finally a long outlet pass by Brenden Stanko that sprung Jansen down the right wing, and the missile by the Roanoke captain rattled off of Macon goaltender Jimmy Poreda for the game’s opening score at 18:58. The Dawgs took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
The second period was much more contested by the Mayhem, as both teams were credited with 11 shots on goal each. Early in the period, Macon quickly cleared the puck up ahead for Alex Laplante after a goal-line clearance in its own zone, and Laplante blasted the puck from the left wing circle to tie the game at the 7:40 mark. The Dawgs quickly responded, as Jansen picked out Kelly in the low slot from behind the Macon net for a one-time laser by Kelly that made it 2-1 at 9:44. A sweet combination by Bailey Morrissette and Stanko set up Roanoke’s next goal, as Morrissette’s low-to-high pass found Roche. Roche walked in from the center point and unleashed an unstoppable shot, making it 3-1 at the 11:14 mark. On the following shift, tensions started to boil and Macon’s Brad Jenion dropped the gloves with Roanoke’s Brendan Pepe. At the end of 40 minutes, the Dawgs still led by a pair.
Macon once again clawed a goal back to start the final period when David Nippard slammed home a rebound at 5:04 to make it a 3-2 game. But the Dawgs had the answers all night long, and a rebound knocked home by DiCarlo at 7:20 pushed Roanoke’s advantage back to two goals. Roanoke’s John Macdonald and Macon’s Sacha Roy would drop the gloves, but then the Dawgs found the cherry on top at 14:35. A great outlet pass by DiCarlo sprung Marcinkevics, and his beautiful finish on the breakaway made it 5-2 for the Dawgs, as Roanoke won for the 11th time in its last 14 games.
Austyn Roudebush saved 21-of-23 shots faced for Roanoke, while Jimmy Poreda saved 32-of-37 for Macon. Roanoke went 0-for-3 on the power play, while Macon went 0-for-1 on its lone chance.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will hit the road tomorrow night, January 19, to take on the Macon Mayhem. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 P.M. EST at the Macon Coliseum, and you can watch the game on Flo or listen for free on Mixlr. Ticket packages, 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: Michele Hancock