For Immediate Release:
December 31, 2018
MURRAY’S BIG NIGHT NOT ENOUGH IN DAWGS 5-4 LOSS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE
Murray nets two goals and two assists in loss to Ice Bears
ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs erased a three-goal deficit and tied the game at four in the third but allowed a late goal and ultimately fell to the Knoxville Ice Bears, 5-4, on New Year’s Eve at Berglund Center. Colin Murray put up two goals and two assists in the loss.
Trailing 4-1 early in the third period, the Dawgs began to chip away. Murray blocked a shot and fed Jesse Schwartz streaking down the right wing. Schwartz picked up the puck and fired a wrister past Hayden Stewart to cut the deficit to two.
Later in the period, Steve Mele chipped the puck in deep and knocked it free with a check. Murray gathered it and slid it to Mele who fed Cody Dion in front. Dion beat Stewart high to make it 4-3.
The Dawgs evened things up just three minutes after the Dion goal as Murray gathered a rebound in tight. He maneuvered around the sliding Stewart and tucked the puck into the net for his second goal, tying the game at four.
Knoxville however answered quickly when Liam Kerins streaked down the right wing and gained the zone. He fired a wrist shot top shelf that beat Tanner Creel and gave the Ice Bears their lead back.
Roanoke pulled Creel for the extra attacker in the final minutes but could not even the score as they fell, 5-4. Murray matched the Dawgs’ season high for points in a game with four in the losing effort.
The Dawgs started the scoring in the first as Dillan Fox sped through center and gained the zone. He ripped a shot wide of the net that bounced off the boards and back to the crease where Murray was charging the net. He lifted the rebound past Stewart and the Dawgs took a 1-0 lead.
The Ice Bears quickly answered though when Bryce Nielsen received a deflected pass on the back door and slammed it in to tie the game. Knoxville then grabbed the lead late in the first as Danny Ceasarz was fed by Kerins for a tap-in on the far post, making it 2-1.
The Knoxville lead grew early in the second period. Lucas Bombardier snapped a pass to Kerins who redirected it home, pushing the lead to two. Scott Cuthrell later gained the zone with his team on the penalty kill, worked around the defense and roofed a backhander past Jacob Caffrey to make it 4-1.
That would be it for Caffrey who was pulled in favor of Creel after allowing four goals on nine shots.
The Rail Yard Dawgs fell to 12-12-0 with the loss while the Ice Bears improved to 12-8-3. Roanoke will return to action on Friday night in Macon against the Mayhem. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM at the Macon Centreplex. Air time on the Haley Toyota Rail Yard Dawgs Hockey Network is set for 6:50 PM.
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