Dawgs Beat Down Rivermen in Wild 3-1 Home Win
Published on November 15, 2025 under SPHL (SPHL)
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs News Release
ROANOKE, VA. - The Rail Yard Dawgs (3-4-2) outmuscled the Peoria Rivermen (6-3-0) in a crazy game on Saturday night, taking the 3-1 win at Berglund Center. Austyn Roudebush led the way with 23 saves in net for the Dawgs, tying the SPHL's all-time career wins record for goaltenders at 111 victories. Gustav Müller and Joe Widmar each had one goal and two assists for Roanoke, Ricky Boysen scored his first pro goal, and the two teams combined for 212 penalty minutes, seven players with game misconducts, and two coach ejections in the game.
Intensity was palpable from the opening puck drop, and the first period that ensued was among the crazier periods of hockey you'd ever see. It started at the 5:22 mark, as a post-whistle scrum around the Roanoke net ignited into an eventual full-on line brawl. Roanoke's Bryce Martin and Khristian Acosta received game misconducts, while Peoria captain Alec Baer was also ejected with a game misconduct. After all 10 combined skaters on the ice ended up either ejected or in the penalty box, Peoria immediately took another brutal shot at a Dawg. Tristan Trudel cross-checked Roanoke's Joe Widmar in the head on the very next faceoff at 5:25, with Gehrig Lindberg dropping the gloves to defend Widmar. Trudel received a major penalty and game misconduct for the hit. Almost a minute later, Peoria's Braydon Barker was the next player to go after Widmar. After missing Widmar on an attempt to elbow the Roanoke centerman, Barker eventually was given a major penalty and a game misconduct when he landed his contact on the second attempt. The following screaming match between the benches between Roanoke head coach Dan Bremner and Peoria's Jean Guy Trudel led to both coaches also being tossed from the game. Roanoke was able to immediately take advantage of the penalties, as Boysen's attempt from a tight angle at the left goal line found the back of the net at 6:48 to open the scoring. The Dawgs outshot Peoria 20-4 and had five power play chances in the first period alone, but managed just the one goal and took their 1-0 lead to the intermission.
The middle frame of action was much less chaotic than the first, but Roanoke allowed the Rivermen to hang around in the contest after the Dawgs dominated the opening 20 minutes. Peoria outshot Roanoke 11-7 in the second period, and after both teams had early power play chances come up empty, there was more back-and-forth away from the play from these teams. Peoria's Frank Trazzera was tossed for the game for head-butting, while Roanoke's C.J. Valerian received a game misconduct for removing Trazzera's helmet. Quickly after that altercation, the Rivermen found the tying goal. Michael McChesney ripped the puck from distance after some help from a teammate's pick move just inside the Roanoke blue line to knot the score at 1-1 at the 16:12 mark. That margin would carry into the second intermission.
Roanoke was fortunate that two potential Peoria power plays early in the third period were essentially wiped out by mistakes by the Rivermen. Just four seconds into a power play in the early minutes of the third period, Peoria committed an infraction to create 4-on-4 action. At 3:52, with a delayed penalty against Roanoke coming up in their favor, the Rivermen committed a delay of game penalty by lifting the puck clear out of play to wipe out the chance before it even started. Two late Peoria penalties put Roanoke on a 5-on-3 chance, and the Dawgs would finally find the winning goal. Widmar and Roanoke captain Matt O'Dea worked the puck down the right wing to the goal line, and Müller spun and tucked the puck five-hole at 13:38 to make it 2-1 for the hosts. Peoria had the net empty for the final two and a half minutes, and a snipe from Widmar with less than four seconds left in the game from his own blue line sealed the 3-1 win on the long empty-net finish. Roanoke is now on a four-game point streak dating back to November 2.
Jack Bostedt saved 35-of-37 shots faced for Peoria. The Dawgs were 2-for-10 on the power play, while the Rivermen went 0-for-3 on their chances.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will hit the road to face the Knoxville Ice Bears on Sunday, November 16, at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum at 5:00 P.M. EST. Season ticket packages and group tickets are on sale by contacting the Rail Yard Dawgs' front office. Single game tickets for the season are on sale now online and at Berglund Center box office.
SPHL Stories from November 15, 2025
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- Marksmen Downed by Ice Flyers to Close out Weekend - Fayetteville Marksmen
- Dawgs Beat Down Rivermen in Wild 3-1 Home Win - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
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