ROANOKE, VA. – The Rail Yard Dawgs won for the ninth straight time on Friday night, holding off the Fayetteville Marksmen 2-1 at Berglund Center. Billy Vizzo scored twice and Brendan Pepe had two assists for the Dawgs, as the team broke its franchise record for longest winning streak (nine games, Feb. 3-23, 2018).
The first period started well for Roanoke, and Vizzo tipped a long-range Pepe shot into the Marksmen net at 9:15 to open the scoring. Shortly after a Dawgs penalty kill, Fayetteville tied the score on a rebound goal by Austin Alger in front of the Dawgs net. The score was still knotted at 1-all at the intermission.
The two goaltenders, Austyn Roudebush and Jason Pawloski, were otherworldly in the middle frame. Both teams had chances to take the lead and one power play a side, but it was Vizzo with just 0.3 seconds remaining that tapped home a centering pass from Mac Jansen. The Dawgs led 2-1 after 40 minutes.
Roanoke’s defense locked down the Marksmen in the third period, holding Fayetteville to only six shots on goal. The Dawgs were able to prevail down the stretch for their ninth consecutive win, putting them into a tie for first place in the SPHL standings with the Peoria Rivermen with 30 points each.
Austyn Roudebush stopped 24-of-25 shots for Roanoke, while Jason Pawloski made 33 stops on 35 shots faced for Fayetteville. Both teams went scoreless on three power play chances each.
Roanoke will hit the road on Tuesday, December 27 at 7:15 p.m. EST against the Fayetteville Marksmen at Crown Coliseum. Season tickets and single-game tickets are available by calling the Rail Yard Dawgs office, visiting the ‘Tickets’ page on our website, or by visiting the Berglund Center box office.
Photo Credit: Brian Collett – BC Captures