PELHAM, AL. – The Rail Yard Dawgs (28-14-8) mounted a late comeback in overtime on Saturday night against the Birmingham Bulls (33-9-8), prevailing 5-4 in a wild victory at Pelham Civic Complex. Tommy Munichiello tallied the game-winning goal, while Josh Nenadal, Jacob Kelly, Owen McDade, and Brenden Stanko also scored for the Dawgs.
The Dawgs exploded out of the gate from the beginning, outshooting Birmingham 10-1 in the first 13:06 of the game. Roanoke got on the board first at 6:03 after Nenadal jammed home a centering pass from CJ Stubbs at the right goal post. The Dawgs doubled their advantage at 11:15, when Stanko fed the puck from the Birmingham trapezoid to the low slot and Kelly hammered the puck into the net. McDade’s power play goal came at 13:06, after he received a pass at the right goal line and turned to the Birmingham net, finding the five-hole to make it a 3-0 game. Roanoke took that three-goal cushion into the second period.
Birmingham turned the game upside down in the second period, outshooting the Dawgs 21-11 after being outshot 13-6 in the opening frame. The Bulls would get on the board on a goal by Scott Donahue at 8:03, then Troy MacTavish made it a 3-2 game at 10:02. Seven different players would end up in the box at 15:03 after a trip by Birmingham’s Matt Wiesner started a scrum, and a 4-on-4 goal by Birmingham’s Nikita Kozyrev at 16:32 would tie the game at 3-all. Roanoke would start the third period on a penalty kill, after its three-goal lead evaporated.
The Dawgs would kill off the penalty to start the third period, but the Bulls would take the lead at 2:04 when Zac Masson finished off his own rebound. Both teams battled for control throughout the third period, with the Dawgs trailing by one. With a late power play chance, Roanoke emptied its net and immediately reaped the reward. A long-range shot by Stubbs was redirected by Stanko, tying the game at 4-all at the 17:56 mark during the 6-on-4 advantage. The game would go to overtime, and a shot off of the Roanoke crossbar would spring a 2-on-1 for McDade and Munichiello. Munichiello fired home the centering pass from McDade to give the Dawgs the victory.
Austyn Roudebush stopped 38-of-42 shots faced in net for the Dawgs, while Hayden Stewart saved 33-of-38 shots faced in net for Birmingham. Roanoke went 2-for-6 on the power play, while Birmingham went 0-for-5 on its chances.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will return home on Friday night, March 22, to take on the Quad City Storm. Puck drop is slated for 7:05 P.M. EST at Berglund Center, and you can watch the game on Flo or listen for free on Mixlr. Playoff packages are on sale now, and can be purchased by contacting the Rail Yard Dawgs office. Other season ticket packages, group tickets, and single-game tickets are on sale now by contacting the Rail Yard Dawgs office or visiting the Berglund Center box office.
Photo Credit: Michele Hancock