ROANOKE, Va. – The Rail Yard Dawgs (10-6-3) battled all game long on Saturday night, but came up just short to the Fayetteville Marksmen (14-5-3) in a 2-1 loss at Berglund Center. Dom Marcinkevics scored the lone goal for the Dawgs, as Fayetteville beat Roanoke for the first time in regulation this season in the seventh meeting between the teams.
The intensity was higher between these two rivals than it has been in maybe a year or so, with both teams getting in plenty of post-whistle altercations throughout the first period. Finally, after each team had squandered an early power play chance, all heck broke loose when a line brawl commenced in front of the Fayetteville net at 12:04. Everyone outside of the goaltenders found a partner, and a total of 26 penalty minutes handed out to four players put Roanoke on the power play again. Right as the power play expired, Marcinkevics tipped a shot from the center point by his brother, Patriks Marcinkevics, and gave the Dawgs the lead at 14:05. Roanoke had outshot the Marksmen 16-13 in the period, but the lone goal by the Roanoke winger was enough to give the hosts the lead at the first intermission.
The second period saw the physicality continue, with Roanoke receiving two power plays and the Marksmen receiving three. The Dawgs managed a season-high 21 shots on goal in the frame, but the momentum of the game swung on Fayetteville’s third power play chance. An incredible save by Fayetteville’s Ryan Kenny on a great shorthanded chance for the Dawgs sprung a counter-attack, and Cam Cook took the puck from his own blue line to the Dawgs’ zone before tallying the tying goal at 15:13. It was effectively a two-goal swing, and the game remained tied heading to the final period.
Roanoke conceded two power play chances to the Marksmen in the third period, and this time it was a rebound goal by Grant Loven that gave Fayetteville its first lead of the weekend at 8:36. After conceding 37 shots on goal in the first 40 minutes, the Marksmen locked down on defense to limit a desperate Roanoke attack to just eight shots on goal in the third period. A few last gasp attempts were once again kept out by Kenny, and the Marksmen moved to 2-3-1 against Roanoke this season. The Dawgs are now 5-1-1 in the season series.
Roanoke’s Austyn Roudebush made 34 saves on 36 shots faced for Roanoke, while Fayetteville’s Ryan Kenny stopped 44-of-45 shots faced. The Dawgs went 0-for-4 on the power play, while the Marksmen went 2-for-6.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will hit the road on Tuesday night, December 26, to take on the Knoxville Ice Bears.