Dawgs Outlasted by Marksmen in 3-2 Home Loss
Published on January 17, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs News Release
ROANOKE, VA. - The Rail Yard Dawgs (17-13-3) ran out of gas late on Diesel 500 Night, as the Fayetteville Marksmen (12-15-4) beat Roanoke for the first time since November 1 in a 3-2 road win at Berglund Center on Saturday. Joe Widmar scored twice, Olivier Beaudoin had two assists, and Gabe Rosek saved 26-of-29 shots faced in net for the Dawgs.
It was an action-packed first period, with four combined goals, 28 combined shots on net, three total power play chances, and plenty of big-time plays on either side. Fayetteville escaped an early penalty kill and had a 4-on-3 power play of its own just over six minutes into the action. A great hit by Roanoke's Andrew Harley set up a shorthanded breakaway chance that was kept out, and the Marksmen were able to capitalize shortly after on the man-advantage. A cross-ice pass from the left corner to the right-wing circle of the Roanoke zone found rookie Blake Humphrey, and his shot gave Fayetteville a 1-0 lead at 7:34. Defenseman Ryan Lieth would double the lead for the Marksmen at 11:10, as his shot bounced off the glove of Rosek after a potential goalie interference sequence went uncalled. The Dawgs would answer quickly, as Widmar's one-time rip from the left-wing circle fed to him by Beaudoin made it 2-1 at 12:28. Roanoke's Jordan Rosenbaum had a huge goal line clearance on a shot from former Dawg Marcus Fechko shortly after to keep the hosts within one. That became a major factor when a Fayetteville penalty put the Dawgs back on the power play at 14:41, and just 13 seconds later, Widmar would tie the game on another one-time finish off of a needle-threading pass by Noah Finstrom. The score would stay tied 2-2 heading to the first intermission between the two fierce rivals.
The second period saw the pace and physicality increase, but the amount of chances decreased for both squads. Roanoke had the two best looks of the frame on a centering feed from Ricky Boysen that just missed Gustav Müller and a rebound chance for Khristian Acosta, but neither team could capitalize on their shot attempts. Acosta would drop the gloves in the final nine seconds of the period with his ex-teammate, Blake Holmes, but the game remained tied at 2-2 heading to the final frame of regulation.
The offense stalled a bit in the first half of the third period for Roanoke, and that left an opening for Fayetteville to reinstate its lead. A cross-crease feed from Fechko to Shane Murphy was jammed in at 5:31 to make it 3-2 for the Marksmen. The Dawgs were held to two shots on net for roughly the first half of the period, as Fayetteville was content to pack into its zone and keep any pucks from threatening the visiting net. After a successful Roanoke penalty kill with just under seven minutes left, the Dawgs would get a power play chance and finally start to generate some late looks. However, the Marksmen defensive effort was too strong on this night, as Fayetteville held on for the 3-2 win to record just its second win since Christmas in 10 tries, while ending a seven-game winning streak in the rivalry by Roanoke.
Ryan Kenny stopped 28-of-30 shots faced in net for Fayetteville. The Rail Yard Dawgs went 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Marksmen went 1-for-2 on their chances.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will hit the road to visit the Macon Mayhem on Friday, January 23, at the Macon Coliseum at 7:00 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.
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- Dawgs Outlasted by Marksmen in 3-2 Home Loss - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
- Marksmen Bounce Back, Down Dawgs - Fayetteville Marksmen
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