For Immediate Release:
October 27, 2017
MOROSO’S SNIPE GIVES DAWGS OT WIN OVER MACON, 5-4
Winger scores twice in Roanoke win
MACON, GA – Mike Moroso netted two goals including the game-winner in overtime, Ryan de Melo made 42 saves and the Rail Yard Dawgs dropped the Macon Mayhem, 5-4, Friday night at the Macon Coliseum. Macon’s Jake Trask netted a hat trick and four points in the losing effort.
Just under two minutes into the overtime period, the Mayhem failed to control the puck at center ice. Moroso swooped in to gain possession and charged down the left wing. From just outside the faceoff circle he snapped a shot on net that just snuck under the crossbar for the game-winning goal.
Roanoke and Macon played a back-and-forth affair during regulation with the Mayhem striking first on a Trask shot from the left wing just 54 seconds into the game. The Dawgs answered in the final minute of the period as Ben Bauer found Evan Schultz alone in the high slot. Schultz ripped a wrister low to the glove side that snuck past Tomas Sholl, tying the game at one.
The Dawgs jumped ahead in the second period when David Gandara hammered home a one-time pass from Nick Schneider. Macon fought back with a Trask goal on a 5-on-3 power play and took the lead on a Ryan Salkeld deflection goal.
Roanoke countered two minutes later as Phil Bronner camped behind the net and threw the puck in front, eventually to Steve Mele. Mele slung it past Sholl and the Dawgs tied the game at three.
At the tail end of the second, Macon’s Jeff Sanders took a hooking penalty and the Rail Yard Dawgs headed to the power play. They worked it around the perimeter and eventually Viktor Tiutchenko took a shot from the right wing that trickled through traffic and off Sholl’s pad. Moroso stuck his stick out and backhanded the puck into the net to give the Dawgs a 4-3 lead.
Macon tied the game four minutes into the third period on Trask’s third goal. He finished with three goals and one assist and his hat trick was the first in Mayhem franchise history.
Moroso scored twice, Mele and Gandara each had a goal and an assist and de Melo stop 42 of the 46 shots that he faced for the win. Roanoke improved to 1-1-0 with the victory while Macon moved to 0-2-1.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will now return home for their next seven games, beginning Friday against the Evansville Thunderbolts. Puck drop at the Berglund Center is set for 7:05 PM.
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