For Immediate Release:
October 29, 2016
GJURICH’S HAT TRICK KEYS DAWGS 5-3 VICTORY
Roanoke completes weekend sweep of Evansville
EVANSVILLE, IN – Mike Moroso netted the game-winning goal, Tyler Gjurich tallied the first hat trick in franchise history and the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs defeated the Evansville Thunderbolts, 5-3, Saturday night at the Ford Center.
With the game tied at three in the third period, Moroso led a three-on-one rush and fired a shot from the left wing. The puck trickled past Evansville goaltender Tyler Parks and just squeaked over the goal line to break the tie and put the Dawgs up, 4-3.
Moroso’s first professional goal came at 4:58 in the third and gave Roanoke the lead for good.
Evansville started fast and found the net in the first minute of the game. Phill Bronner took a sharp angle shot that glanced off of Roanoke goaltender Ryan de Melo and found the stick of Brent Clarke. Clarke snapped the rebound past de Melo and gave the Thunderbolts a 1-0 lead, 41 seconds into the first period.
They later extended their lead with just over two minutes to go in the period. Tommy Fiorentino led an odd-man rush and snapped a wrister over de Melo’s shoulder make it 2-0.
Roanoke gained momentum in the second. At the 6:13 mark, Gjurich took a pass at the red line and carried into the zone on the left wing. He fired a wrist shot over the catching glove of Parks and cut the lead down to one.
The Thunderbolts answered quickly as John Daniels beat de Melo 41 seconds later, making it 3-1. Evansville then committed a pair of penalties in a 14 second span, giving the Dawgs a 5-on-3 power play. With plenty of room to operate, Gjurich received a pass in the high slot and again beat Parks top shelf. The power play goal at 11:08 in the second made the score, 3-2.
Roanoke bounced back late in the second period. Again working on the power play, the Dawgs dumped the puck in and Parks mishandled it behind his net. Michael Turner poked the puck free and Massimo Lamacchia scooped it up and slid it into an open net to tie the game at three.
After surrendering the lead on the Moroso goal, Evansville picked up the pressure in the third. The Thunderbolts fired 15 shots on net in the period but nothing got past de Melo, who stopped 40 of the 43 shots he faced and earned the win in his Rail Yard Dawgs debut.
With Roanoke holding on to the 4-3 lead with nine seconds to go in the third, Gjurich took a pass at center ice and backhanded the puck into the empty Evansville net to pick up the hat trick and put a seal on the victory.
Gjurich’s hat trick came on five shots and gave him back-to-back multi-point games. Ten different Rail Yard Dawgs picked up points in the winning effort.
Roanoke improved to 2-2-0 and Evansville dropped to 0-3-1. The Dawgs will return home on Friday to see the Fayetteville FireAntz at 7:05 PM at the Berglund Center.