ROANOKE, Va. – This could be your last weekend to see the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs play at the Berglund Center this season. Friday is one of the last two home games of the regular season and the puck drops at 7:05 p.m., and again on Saturday night.
Since Friday is April Fools Day, this means it is the Dawgs rebrand night. Fans voted to change the team’s name for the night to the Big Lick Bootleggers. This is just a little way for the team to have some April Fools Fun.
Saturday is Fan Appreciation Night and this is a chance for the team to thank everyone who has supported them this season. There will be post-game autographs with the entire team, so you can meet your favorite players and there will also be discounts on concessions.
However, the team isn’t done playing just yet. They found out last week that they clinched a spot in the playoffs.
“Finally, finally, finally. Yea, it has been a tough road. We were really hot for a while and then we got really cold. Now we are trying to find out stride and I think we found it. We are going to find out this weekend but feeling pretty confident with four games left here,” said Josh Nenadal, left wing.
The playoff schedule has not been announced yet, but post-season games will begin the week of April 11. The Dawgs are hoping to bring back a victory to the Star City. Tickets for playoff packages are now on sale. Single-game tickets will go on sale as game schedules are finalized.
Besides fan appreciation night, the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs have been giving back to the community all season. They distributed presents for more than 300 Angel Trees during the holiday season. Every couple of weeks, different players would visit local schools like Preston Park Elementary School and Garden City Elementary to talk with the students.
“It has been a blast being able to give back to this community that has been so awesome to us. Going to schools, reading to children. I think I got to go play tag one day at gym with some of the kids, so that was a blast,” said Brady Hepner, a Left Wing for the team. “I got to chop wood. It has just been awesome to be able to give back to this community that has done so much for our team.”
As part of the team’s Do Good Days, some players walked dogs for Angels of Assisi, packed food boxes for the local Office on Aging and brought teddy bears to the Vinton Boys and girls club.
This has been the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs’ first season back on the ice since the pandemic. They went a total of 601 days without ice hockey.