HUNTSVILLE, AL. – The Rail Yard Dawgs (10-7-2) reeled off another comeback to secure a 3-2 overtime win over the Huntsville Havoc (10-5-3) on Sunday night at the Von Braun Center. Travis Broughman scored the game-winning goal to finish with three points (2 G, 1A), Ryan Reifler scored to tie the game with just over a minute left, Andrew Stacey scored his first SPHL goal, Joe Widmar had four assists, and Brody Claeys made 30 saves in the win for the Dawgs.
Roanoke came ready to play on Sunday afternoon, outshooting the Havoc 13-8 in what was a physical first period of action. The Dawgs initially went on the penalty kill at 7:48, but an immediate shorthanded breakaway chance for Roanoke’s Ricky Boysen forced Huntsville to commit a hooking penalty to cancel out its own power play at 8:21. The Dawgs would strike first on an excellent effort on an extended shift for Joe Widmar, who dumped the puck off the left-wing wall to himself along the back boards of the Huntsville zone. Widmar and Tim Manning maintained the puck out of a board battle, then Widmar centered the puck from the left-wing goal line to the slot to Stacey, and Stacey’s snipe marked his first SPHL goal at the 11:24 mark. The Dawgs also thwarted a few 2-on-1 odd-man rushes by the Havoc with some great defensive plays, and Widmar nearly made it 2-0 when he had two shots saved late in the frame. Roanoke would take the 1-0 lead to the first intermission.
The second period gave Roanoke its first true power play chance, and the visitors would take advantage. Broughman was able to pull a puck off the right-wing wall where Gustav Müller had been engaged in a board battle, and Broughman made a power move through the right-wing circle straight to the front of the net and flicked his backhanded shot into the net at 2:17 to give the Dawgs a 2-0 lead. It didn’t take long for Huntsville to answer, as a centering feed to the back post by Craig McCabe was smashed home by Cole Reginato at 3:43 to make it 2-1. The Dawgs would have to endure more than a minute of a 5-on-3 penalty kill around the halfway mark of the frame, but came up with a big defensive stop to maintain their lead. Roanoke’s Manning and Huntsville’s McCabe did trade haymakers in a fight at 13:37, but the Dawgs would head to the locker room with the 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
The third period became a story of the power plays – with Huntsville earning three chances and Roanoke earning two. Josh Kestner dangled through the Roanoke penalty killers for a gorgeous solo goal at 8:12 to tie the game, as the Havoc finally lit the lamp on their fifth power play opportunity. Huntsville took the lead at 12:41 on a Cole Reginato finish, making it a 3-2 game. Roanoke came up empty on its next power play, but would get a fourth chance late in the action. With Claeys to the bench to empty the net for the extra attacker, Reifler jammed home a rebound in the final second of the power play to tie the game at 3-3 with 80 seconds left in regulation. The game would head to overtime, where Müller would hit the post, and Claeys made a huge save in a net-front scramble that would eventually lead to a 2-on-1 chance for Roanoke. Broughman smashed a one-timer at the left-wing circle in transition to give the Dawgs the 4-3 win, as the Dawgs won for the second straight night in overtime.
Brian Wilson stopped 28-of-31 shots faced in net for Huntsville. The Dawgs were 2-for-4 on the power play, while the Havoc went 2-for-6 on their chances.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will return home to host the Fayetteville Marksmen on Thursday, December 11, at Berglund Center at 7:05 P.M. EST. Season ticket packages and group tickets are on sale by contacting the Rail Yard Dawgs’ front office. Single game tickets for the season are on sale now online and at Berglund Center box office.