The Rail Yard Dawgs (5-4-2) couldn’t outlast the Huntsville Havoc (6-5-1), falling 4-2 on Wednesday night at Berglund Center. CJ Stubbs and Dom Marcinkevics tallied the goals for Roanoke, as Huntsville scored twice in the span of 36 seconds to snag the victory with less than four minutes remaining.
The Dawgs had six of the game’s first seven shots on goal, but a two-on-one break for Huntsville allowed Robbie Fisher to open the score for the Havoc at 6:31 on just their second shot of the game. Both teams had chances to add on to that total throughout the period, but the Havoc took their 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
The second period saw Huntsville double its advantage at the 4:51 mark on a long-range snipe by captain Dominick Procopio. The Dawgs quickly woke up in what was their best period of the night, bringing the deficit back to one goal when Stubbs finished off a centering feed from Nick Ford at 8:32 to make it 2-1. Marcinkevics got the puck across the Huntsville blue line from Josh Nenadal and finished in the low slot to tie the game at 2-all. The score was still tied heading to the third period, as the Dawgs outshot the Havoc 14-6 in the frame.
Roanoke lost a bit of steam in the third period, netting only five shots on goal in the final period. The Dawgs got the game’s only power play at 12:27, but a big penalty kill by the Havoc spun the momentum in the visitors’ favor. Huntsville regained the lead at 16:11 on an Alex Kielczewski wrister to make it 3-2. Just 36 seconds later, Fisher potted his second breakaway goal of the game to make it a 4-2 game. The Dawgs emptied the net in the final two minutes, but couldn’t chip away en route to their third consecutive regulation loss.
Brody Claeys saved 20-of-24 shots for Roanoke, and Huntsville’s Brian Wilson stopped 26-of-28 shots faced. The Dawgs went 0-for-1 on the power play, while the Havoc did not receive a power play.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will stay at home on Friday night, November 24, to take on the Fayetteville Marksmen. Puck drop is slated for 7:05 P.M. EST at Berglund Center, and you can watch the game on Flo or listen for free on Mixlr. Season tickets, group tickets, and single game tickets are on sale now by contacting the Rail Yard Dawgs office or visiting the Berglund Center box office.