Dawgs Fall Short in 4-2 Opening Night Loss to Havoc
SPHL Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs

Dawgs Fall Short in 4-2 Opening Night Loss to Havoc

Published on October 17, 2025 under SPHL (SPHL)
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs News Release


ROANOKE, VA. - The Rail Yard Dawgs (0-1) couldn't hold on to their lead on Friday, falling 4-2 to the Huntsville Havoc (1-0) on Opening Night at Berglund Center. Joe Widmar and Andrew Harley scored power play goals for Roanoke, while Trey Fechko and Olivier Beaudoin both tallied their first professional points in their respective debuts for the Dawgs.

The physicality was on display from the get-go, with eight of the game's 27 combined penalties whistled in the first period. Both teams had one power play chance apiece, in addition to two sequences of 4-on-4 action. The Havoc would open the scoring on their man-advantage chance when Matt Allen fired a one-timer from the slot at 8:18. Roanoke had solid chances too, only being outshot 12-10 by Huntsville in the opening 20 minutes, but the Havoc took the 1-0 lead to the first intermission.

Roanoke turned the game around in the second period, outchancing Huntsville 15-8, thanks in large part to five more power play chances in the middle frame. Widmar would tie the game on a rebound chance that was set up initially by Fechko and Matt O'Dea at 9:01 to make it a 1-1 game. A few minutes later, Beaudoin won a 50-50 chance and sprang the puck to Ryan Reifler at the Huntsville blue line. Reifler found a wide-open Harley, whose laser from the slot put Roanoke ahead 2-1 at the 11:52. The Dawgs did have another 5-on-3 chance in the period, but weren't able to capitalize. After two periods, Roanoke nursed its 2-1 lead into the second intermission.

It didn't take long for Huntsville to find paydirt after the intermission. A 2-on-1 chance eventually left Huntsville's Austin Alger all alone just feet away from the Roanoke net, and he tied the game just 75 seconds into the final period. Both teams battled fatigue throughout the period, but it was Huntsville's David Novotny who found the go-ahead goal at 14:48. At 17:03, Novotny tipped a shot by defenseman Terry Ryder, deflecting the puck perfectly across the face of the net to Allen. Allen's second goal of the night sealed a 4-2 win for the visiting Havoc.

Austyn Roudebush stopped 28-of-32 shots in net for Roanoke, while Brian Wilson stopped 32-of-34 between the pipes for Huntsville. The Dawgs were 2-for-6 on the power play, while Huntsville went 1-for-3 on its chances.

The Rail Yard Dawgs will head on the road next to take on the Knoxville Ice Bears on Friday, October 24, at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. 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.

Check out the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs Statistics

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