Ice Bears Rally for a Point in 6-5 Shootout Loss
Published on February 27, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Knoxville Ice Bears News Release
Alex Wilkins tied the game for Roanoke with three seconds remaining and the Knoxville Ice Bears fell in a shootout 6-5 to the Rail Yard Dawgs Friday night at the Berglund Center.
Tim Kent had two goals and three assists for Knoxville. Connor Green made 47 saves.
Wilkins scored the equalizer off a centering feed by Travis Broughman behind the net to force overtime. Matt Dorsey scored in the sixth round of the shootout and Gabe Rosek stopped Tyler Williams to end the game.
Hagen Moe gave Knoxville a 5-4 lead with three minutes remaining off a rebound at the left circle. Billy Roche's shot bounced off Rosek's pad and out to Moe, who fired on net for his first as an Ice Bear.
Joe Widmar scored off a rebound 1:27 into the game to open the scoring for the Rail Yard Dawgs. Daniel Stone's shot from the blue line went wide, bounced off the back wall and came back to the side of the crease for Widmar to poke it past Connor Green.
Widmar scored again midway through the first when he redirected Ryan Mahlmeister's point shot while he was sweeping across the front of the crease at 12:26.
Green stopped a one-timer in the slot by David Novotny and stopped Broughman's wraparound shot to keep Knoxville within striking distance at the first intermission despite the Ice Bears being outshot 23-5 in the opening 20 minutes.
Jarret Kup got Knoxville on the board when he fired through a roadblock from the left wing and found the opposite post at 1:31 of the second.
Kent evened the score on the power play with a wrist shot from the slot past Rosek's blocker at 8:01. Williams and Carson Vance contained a clearing attempt by the Rail Yard Dawgs before the latter slipped the puck to Kent at the top of the zone. Kent skated forward before lifting his shot top shelf to make it 2-2.
Matt O'Dea gave Roanoke the lead again 51 seconds later when he picked up a loose puck, skated to the left hash and buried a shot over Green.
Knoxville tied the game again on the power play when Kent found Moe moving through the left circle. Moe's drag shot was blocked and he found the rebound and slipped the puck to Davide Gaeta on the right side of the crease where Gaeta fired upon the yawning net for his third goal in three games.
Kent gave the Ice Bears their first lead of the night with a wrist shot from the high slot at 15:41 of the second. Moe won an offensive zone face-off back to Vance at the left point. Vance faked a slap shot and Kent came and took the puck to center before ripping the puck on net for his second of the game.
Broughman tied the game at 3:11 of the third with a backhand from the left circle. Rosek made 22 saves for Roanoke.
The two teams return to Knoxville for the back-end of the home-and-home Saturday night.
SPHL Stories from February 27, 2026
- Havoc Make Waves But Rivermen Sail off Victorious - Huntsville Havoc
- Ice Flyers Downed by Birmingham Bulls, 4-1 - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- Rivermen Prevail over Huntsville, 6-3, in Back-and-Forth Contest - Peoria Rivermen
- River Monsters Trounced by Marksmen - Macon Mayhem
- Dawgs Strike Late to Stun Ice Bears, 6-5, in Shootout - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
- Thunderbolts Win Streak Ends at Five Games with Loss to Storm - Evansville Thunderbolts
- Marksmen Down Mayhem with Second Period Surge - Fayetteville Marksmen
- Ice Bears Rally for a Point in 6-5 Shootout Loss - Knoxville Ice Bears
- Ford Returns in Time for Fayetteville Series - Macon Mayhem
- Game Preview: February 27 vs Birmingham - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- Thunderbolts Hold off Bulls for Fifth Straight Win - Evansville Thunderbolts
- Mayhem Can't Mount Another Comeback in Loss to Ice Flyers - Macon Mayhem
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