FAYETTEVILLE, NC. – The Rail Yard Dawgs rattled off four unanswered goals in an impressive 4-1 road victory over Fayetteville on Friday night at Crown Coliseum.
Josh Nenadal, CJ Stubbs, Billy Vizzo, and Matt O’Dea scored for Roanoke, while Henry Dill made 26 saves on 27 Fayetteville shots in the win.
The first period ended scoreless, after Roanoke owned a 12-7 shot advantage over Fayetteville. The Marksmen killed off two Dawgs’ power play chances, and remained tied after Roanoke was unable to convert on a couple of rebounds.
Bryan Moore opened the scoring in the second period on a power play score for the Marksmen, but Nenadal quickly equalized after gloving down a pass from Travis Armstrong and backhanding it into the roof of the net. Just a minute and 29 seconds later, a Stubbs laser caught Fayetteville goalie Stefano Durante sleeping and gave the Dawgs the lead. Moore and Roanoke’s Charlie Pelnik got into a scrap, and it seems that it only fueled the Dawgs more. Vizzo scored on a rebound from Vojtech Zemlicka’s initial shot at 10:48 to put Roanoke ahead 3-1, a scoreline that held until the end of the period. It also prompted a goaltender change, as Durante was pulled in favor of his backup, Matt Williams.
The third period continued to be dominated by Roanoke, as O’Dea blasted a loose puck from the top of the left wing circle into the net for Roanoke’s final goal. Neither team was able to capitalize on a few more penalties throughout the period, and the Dawgs defeated the Marksmen for the third straight time in the series.
The Dawgs will host the Fayetteville Marksmen tomorrow night at Berglund Center on Nickelodeon Spongebob Squarepants Night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and the team will wear specialty jerseys that will be available for auction after the game. Sunday’s game has been postponed until Thursday, February 3 at 7:05 p.m. at Berglund Center. Wisler Plumbing and Air Family Four Packs, group tickets, and single game tickets for home games are on sale now, and you can listen to the games on the Haley Toyota Rail Yard Dawgs Hockey Network via Mixlr or watch it on HockeyTV.