ROANOKE, Va. – The Rail Yard Dawgs announced Monday that forward Spencer Kennedy has signed with the team and rookie defenseman Alex Norwinski has been activated from the injured reserve list.
Additionally, Roanoke placed defenseman C.J. Valerian on the 14-day injured reserve list, and also placed rookie defenseman Dakota Bohn on team suspension. Defenseman Sean Leonard has also been suspended for one game by the SPHL.
Kennedy joined the Dawgs last January after playing two seasons at Portage College (ACAC). The six-foot-six winger led the team with eight fighting majors in just 19 games. Kennedy tallied three goals, 131 penalty minutes, and a plus-two rating as a rookie for Roanoke. The Lethbridge, Alberta native began the season with the ECHL’s Reading Royals, appearing in three games.
Norwinski joined the Dawgs this season after playing five seasons at Liberty University (ACHA), and now has the opportunity to suit up for the Dawgs mere miles away from where he grew up. The Blue Ridge native played in 117 combined games for Liberty’s ACHA teams, finishing his career with 34 goals, 56 assists, and 57 penalty minutes for the Flames.
Valerian has played in 75 regular season games since joining the Dawgs in February 2022, including Roanoke’s first five games this season. The six-foot-two defenseman is fresh off of a strong 2022-2023 season with six goals, 16 assists, a team-best plus-22 plus/minus (fourth among all SPHL defenseman), and 88 penalty minutes. The Gates Mills, Ohio native also has one assist and a plus-nine rating in 16 postseason appearances over the last two years.
Bohn is in his first professional season after playing four seasons at Adrian College (ACHA). So far, the Saginaw, Michigan native has one assist and four penalty minutes in his first four games with Roanoke before his suspension. The six-foot-three defenseman helped Adrian win a national championship team in 2021, and tallied a total of 23 goals, 66 assists, and 147 penalty minutes in 126 career college games.
Additionally, Sean Leonard has been suspended one game, under Rule 23.3, for incurring his second
game misconduct of the season during Roanoke’s game against Pensacola on Saturday, November 4. Leonard was assessed a minor penalty for removal of helmet, a major penalty for fighting, a game misconduct under Rule 46.7, Secondary Altercation, and a game misconduct under Rule 46.6, Deliberate Removal of Helmet, at the 9:20 mark of the third period. Leonard will miss Roanoke’s game against Huntsville on Friday, November 10.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will visit the Huntsville Havoc on Friday, November 10 at 8:00 P.M. EST, and you can watch the game on Flo or listen in on Mixlr. Single game tickets for Opening Night and all other home games are on sale now at Berglund Center box office and online. Season tickets and other packages are on sale now through the Dawgs’ front office.
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