KNOXVILLE, TN. – The Rail Yard Dawgs (21-12-3) allowed five unanswered goals, including two power play scores and a shorthanded goal, as the Knoxville Ice Bears won 5-1 on Friday night in Tennessee. Jarrad Vroman scored Roanoke’s lone goal, and CJ Stubbs extended his franchise record point streak to 16 games.
Three fights headlined the start of the first period, with Roanoke’s Spencer Kennedy, Chris Vella, and Dillon Radin facing off with Rex Moe, Preston Kugler, and TJ Sneath of Knoxville, respectively. Vroman’s rebound goal opened the scoring at 14:42 for Roanoke, but Razmus Waxin-Engback tied the score just 59 seconds later. The score was tied at 1-1 entering the first intermission.
The second period saw the Dawgs outshoot Knoxville 19-11, but Roanoke couldn’t find the back of the net despite two power play chances. A turnover with just over four minutes left in the period led to a Colton Fletcher goal by Knoxville, and the Ice Bears took a 2-1 lead into the third frame.
The Dawgs sputtered in the third period, despite starting the stanza on a power play. Waxin-Engback went coast-to-coast for a shorthanded goal at 1:17 to double the advantage. A power play goal by Knoxville’s Brett Ouderkirk at 12:27 made it 4-1 for the Ice Bears. Dean Balsamo added another on the power play with 70 seconds left to cap the scoring in a 5-1 win for Knoxville. Roanoke has now lost six of its last seven, while the Ice Bears have won four in a row.
Tom Aubrun stopped 28-of-32 shots for Roanoke, while Knoxville’s Kristian Stead had an outstanding 33 saves on 34 shots faced. The Dawgs were 0-for-4 on the power play, while the Ice Bears went 2-for-5.
Roanoke will stay on the road on Friday, February 11 at 8:00 p.m. EST to face the Huntsville Havoc at Von Braun Center. 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