Rail Yard Dawgs ready for debut

ROANOKE (WSLS 10 SPORTS) - Hockey has returned to Roanoke and as the Berglund Center is putting the finishing touches on the ice, the players can't wait for the Rail Yard Dawgs debut Friday.

"I was with Brampton Beast hockey league last year and we didn't make the playoffs so my season has been done since March so it's been a long time and training camp is about to end, thank God, but it's really exciting, we've heard good things about the Berglund Center and the renovations and we heard the town is really excited to have us back to it's going to be a big night," said Dawgs center Stephen Mele.

"Fans have been awesome, everywhere I've been everyone is really excited for it and that's good to see when you're coming in because fans are excited and more fans you have here the more energy you get from them," defender Nick Schneider said.

It's not all excitement though, Coach Ftorek still needs to make one more cut before the final roster is set Wednesday.

"It's really hard, the guys have come in and done a great job, battled really hard and they've stepped up their game. They've gone from really rusty and not sure what they're supposed to do and are pretty much right on point and now it's trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle," Ftorek explained.

The puck drops at 7:05 pm Friday in Roanoke night against Knoxville in the the Rail Yard Dawgs season opener.