Dawgs Strike Late to Stun Ice Bears, 6-5, in Shootout
SPHL Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs

Dawgs Strike Late to Stun Ice Bears, 6-5, in Shootout

Published on February 27, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs News Release


ROANOKE, VA - The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (24-19-3) fended off a late deficit to stun the Knoxville Ice Bears (22-19-4), 6-5, in a shootout Friday night. Alex Wilkins scored with just 2.8 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, Matt Dorsey netted the decisive goal in the sixth round of the shootout, and Gabe Rosek stood tall with 22 saves while turning away all six Knoxville attempts in the shootout.

The Dawgs struck early, as Joe Widmar found the back of the net just 1:27 into the game off a feed from Daniel Stone and David Novotny. Widmar added his second of the night 10 minutes later, redirecting a shot from newcomer Ryan Mahlmeister.

Roanoke led 2-0 after the first period and outshot Knoxville 23-5 in the opening 20 minutes.

The momentum shifted in the second period as Knoxville rattled off four goals. Jarret Kup scored just 91 seconds into the frame, Tim Kent, a former Rail Yard Dawg, added a pair, and Davide Gaeta netted his eighth of the season.

Captain Matt O'Dea scored at the 8:52 mark to briefly give Roanoke the lead, but after 40 minutes, the Ice Bears carried a 4-3 advantage into the third period.

Roanoke answered 3:11 into the final frame when Travis Broughman capitalized on a ricochet off shots from Noah Finstrom and Wilkins to tie the game at 4-4. The score remained even entering the final five minutes.

Hagen Moe then rifled a right-wing shot past Rosek to give Knoxville a 5-4 lead with 2:58 remaining.

Roanoke pulled its goaltender for the extra skater, but Ice Bears netminder Connor Green, appearing in just his fifth career SPHL game, turned aside numerous Dawgs chances in the closing minutes.

The pressure paid off in dramatic fashion. Wilkins poked home a loose puck with 2.8 seconds remaining to tie the game at 5-5 and send it to overtime.

Despite six combined shots in the five-minute overtime, neither team found the winner, forcing a shootout.

Roanoke's lineup featured Finstrom, Widmar, Mahlmeister, Tim Manning, O'Dea, and Dorsey. After both goaltenders denied the first five shooters, the shootout moved to a sixth round.

Dorsey sniped a shot into the top-right corner to beat Green, and Rosek sealed the victory by denying Tyler Williams to secure the win.

The shootout victory marked Roanoke's first since February 28, 2025, when the Dawgs defeated Pensacola on a Tommy Munichello shootout winner.

Roanoke returns to action Saturday to complete the home-and-home series at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST. Season ticket packages and group tickets are available through the Rail Yard Dawgs' front office. Single-game tickets are also available online and at Berglund Center box office.

Check out the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs Statistics

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SPHL Stories from February 27, 2026


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