ROANOKE, Va. – The community interest, and support of hockey in Roanoke has never been in doubt, dating back to the Roanoke Express. The reboot, the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, are now busy adding an exciting chapter to that history.
That chapter could now include a championship, as the Dawgs have advanced to the franchise’s first ever SPHL final.
As eight seed coming into the postseason, they’ve toppled the top seed in Knoxville and the second best team in the regular season, Huntsville, in back-to-back best of three series.
Now they face a five game series with Peoria, the three seed for all the marbles, and a welcome change.
“I look back to the seven game series and the way you hate other players on the field in game 3, game 4, and the battles,” head coach Dan Bremner said. “They left some bruises in game 2 that you’re still feeling.”
“They’re both back to back games, it’s a matter of who can recover the quickest,” defenseman Travis Armstrong said. “It’s going to be a battle, a three game series can go super quick, like it did in Huntsville, and I think having a five game series can benefit us as far as being able to finish at home. But overthinking it might be something we have to be better with.”
Games 1 and 2 are in Peoria Thursday and Friday with games three and four back in Roanoke on Monday and Tuesday.