HUNTSVILLE, AL. – The Rail Yard Dawgs (22-12-3) led for all but 96 seconds on Saturday night, cruising to a 5-2 win over the Huntsville Havoc (23-13-2) at the Von Braun Center. Mac Jansen and Billy Vizzo each scored twice, while Dom Marcinkevics added an empty-net goal for Roanoke.
Roanoke’s captain set the tone early, as Jansen opened the scoring at 1:36 to give the Dawgs a lead they would never relinquish. Jansen added another at 7:13, firing up his team after giving Roanoke a 2-0 lead. Huntsville got a power play goal on a tipped shot by Robbie Fisher at 10:19, but Vizzo scored on a redirect goal of his own just 57 seconds later to make it 3-1 for the visitors. Roanoke carried that lead into the first intermission.
The second period featured a goalie change for Huntsville, but the Dawgs kept rolling. Vizzo’s second of the game at 3:47 gave Roanoke a 4-1 lead. Chris Vella dropped the gloves with Huntsville’s Kasey Kulczycki, and the Dawgs cruised into the second intermission with their three-goal cushion intact.
The Dawgs gritted out the third period, holding off a Huntsville comeback attempt. Kulczycki did make it 4-2 at 9:11 moments after he got out of the box from a Roanoke power play he had conceded, but Marcinkevics put the game on ice with his empty-net tally with two minutes left. It marked Roanoke’s first win against the Havoc in three meetings so far this season.
Austyn Roudebush stopped 24-of-26 shots for Roanoke, while Huntsville’s Mike Robinson saved five of eight shots before he was relieved for Max Milosek, who stopped 10-of-11. The Dawgs were 0-for-4 on the power play, while the Havoc went 1-for-5.
Roanoke will stay on the road on Friday, February 17 at 8:10 p.m. EST to face the Quad City Storm at Vibrant at the Mark Arena. 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