Dawgs Stumble in 6-2 Road Loss at Knoxville
SPHL Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs

Dawgs Stumble in 6-2 Road Loss at Knoxville

Published on December 26, 2025 under SPHL (SPHL)
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs News Release


KNOXVILLE, TN. - The Rail Yard Dawgs (12-9-3) struggled to build momentum on Friday night, falling 6-2 to the Knoxville Ice Bears (12-8-1) at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. Joe Widmar and Travis Broughman scored goals, Brody Claeys stopped 12-of-16 shots faced in the net before he was injured, and Austyn Roudebush stopped 12-of-14 shots in relief for the Dawgs.

The physicality was palpable in the opening 20 minutes, with massive hits and collisions thrown both ways. The Dawgs would get the first power play of the game at 7:05, but came up short after a few good looks. The Ice Bears drew first blood at 9:51, as a shot by Jarret Kup from the Roanoke blue line found its way to the top right corner of the net thanks to a nice screen by Knoxville. The hosts would make it 2-0 at 17:01 just after a sustained offensive zone possession by Roanoke, as a 2-on-2 transition move by Knoxville's Andrew Kurapov and Jared Westcott allowed Kurapov to pot a rebound goal to double the advantage. Both teams had 11 shots on goal per side in the first frame, but Knoxville led 2-0 at the intermission.

Roanoke found some momentum early in the second period and would cut the deficit to one at 5:44. An incredible solo goal by Broughman finished up as one of the sweetest tallies in the SPHL this season, as the veteran forward dangled through multiple Knoxville defenders before flipping the puck to the roof of the net to make it 2-1. That was short-lived, as a rip from the top of the right-wing circle by Ryan Kuzmich at 6:25 made it 3-1 for Knoxville. A Roanoke power play offered a chance to cut the deficit again, but a shorthanded goal by Kuzmich at 10:25 made it 4-1 for the hosts. It marked the first shorthanded goal allowed by the Dawgs this season, and an injury to goaltender Brody Claeys forced him from the action after a puck hit him in the mask. Roudebush stepped into the net, and the Dawgs continued to create chances with a 16-10 shots on goal advantage, but could never grab the momentum. Knoxville's Troy Button and Roanoke's Trey Deloury dropped the gloves at 16:23, only for the Ice Bears to use that to fuel Kuzmich's third goal of the period at 17:08. It marked a natural hat trick for the Knoxville forward, further frustrating Roanoke as the visitors trailed 5-1. Roanoke's Gehrig Lindberg was called for cross-checking late in the period and would fight Knoxville's Jimmy Soper at 19:44, and the Ice Bears would carry a 5-1 lead and a power play into the final 20 minutes.

Despite an early penalty kill and some scoring chances, a comeback failed to materialize for the Dawgs in the third period, even with an 11-9 shots on net advantage in the final frame. Roanoke would pull one back on a 5-on-3 power play at 9:47, as Widmar smashed a slapshot from the left-wing dot through the net-front traffic to make it a 5-2 score. The Ice Bears would answer with Kup's second of the game at 14:47 on a one-timer from the slot to make it 6-2. Frustration would boil over a bit in the closing minutes, with six combined penalties (four of which went to Knoxville), but the Dawgs were defeated by a margin of four on the road.

Stephen Mundiger stopped 36-of-38 shots faced in net for Knoxville. The Dawgs went 1-for-6 on the power play, while the Ice Bears went 0-for-1 on their chance.

The Rail Yard Dawgs will host the Knoxville Ice Bears on Saturday, December 27, at Berglund Center at 7:05 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.

Check out the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs Statistics

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