For Immediate Release:
February 15, 2019
RAIL YARD DAWGS OUTLAST HAVOC, 5-3
Steve Mele scores twice to pace Dawgs attack
ROANOKE, Va. – Steve Mele scored twice, Jeff Jones gave his team the lead for good in the third and the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs outlasted the Huntsville Havoc, 5-3, Friday night at Berglund Center.
With the Rail Yard Dawgs leading, 3-2, in the third period, Huntsville’s Sy Nutkevitch stickhandled his way through the Roanoke defense and got free. He strode in a wristed a shot top shelf on Jacob Caffrey to tie the game at three.
Roanoke did not wait long to answer, however, as Jordan Carvalho fed a moving Jones at the blue line. Jones split the Huntsville defensemen, carried the puck in and slid it between Max Milosek’s legs to put the Dawgs on top, 4-3.
Huntsville pulled its Milosek for the extra attacker in the final minutes and Oleksandr Liulchuk made them pay with an empty net goal from behind his own blue line. Roanoke eventually held on for a 5-3 victory.
The Dawgs struck first just over two minutes into the first period. Colin Murray rattled the boards with a check that knocked the puck free to Vojtech Zemlicka. He put a shot on net that was blocked by Milosek but Mele picked up the rebound and wrapped it around the far post to make the score 1-0.
Huntsville answered just over two minutes later as Ryan Salkeld fired a wrister from the right wing that Caffrey stopped. Caffrey tried to sweep the rebound out of his crease but it hit the post and bounced to the back side of his crease. Tyler Piacentini got to it first and knocked the rebound home to tie the game.
The Havoc took the lead later in the first when John Schiavo netted a power play goal that pushed the score to 2-1.
Roanoke came out flying in the second and evened things just shy of the halfway mark. Liulchuk fired a shot that hit a body in front but Cal Miska corralled the rebound. He roofed a shot over Milosek’s shoulder and the game was tied a two.
The Dawgs took the lead back later in the second thanks to a power play marker. Zemlicka took a shot from the point and Mele reached his stick in for a deflection. It ramped up and snuck under the crossbar for Mele’s second of the game and the Dawgs led, 3-2.
Mele scored twice for the second time in his last three games, Zemlicka had two assists and Caffrey made 34 saves on 37 shots. The Rail Yard Dawgs improved to 19-16-3 in the win while the Havoc fell to 23-13-2. Roanoke and Huntsville will renew acquaintances on Saturday night at Berglund Center. It’s Military Night and all active and retired military who show their ID can get a $10 ticket in any section. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 PM and the pregame show on the Haley Toyota Rail Yard Dawgs Hockey Network begins at 6:50 PM.
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