SPHL Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs

Rail Yard Dawgs (12-17-5) at FireAntz (20-11-1)

Published on February 10, 2017 under SPHL (SPHL)
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs News Release


ROANOKE RAIL YARD DAWGS

(12-17-5), 8th SPHL, 29 Pts

FAYETTEVILLE FIREANTZ

(20-11-1), 5th SPHL, 41 Pts

Friday, February 10 - 7:30 PM

Crown Coliseum - Fayetteville, N.C.

Broadcast: SPHL Live | Mixlr

LAST TIME OUT: Ryan de Melo stopped 61 of 63 shots, Massimo Lamacchia scored the go-ahead goal in the third and the Rail Yard Dawgs defeated the Pensacola Ice Flyers, 3-2, Saturday night at the Pensacola Bay Center. Roanoke completed a weekend sweep of the Ice Flyers with the victory.

THE OTHER GUYS: Fayetteville enters Friday's clash as arguably the hottest team in the SPHL. The FireAntz are winners of six in a row and have out-scored their opponents, 14-3, over their last three games. Friday marks the ninth meeting of the season between the Dawgs and the FireAntz, making Fayetteville the most frequent opponent. Roanoke has gone 2-5-1 against the FireAntz this season including an 0-2-1 mark at the Crown Coliseum.

TARGET PRACTICE: Entering the weekend's games, the Rail Yard Dawgs have allowed 40 or more shots in 11 of their last 13 games and 50 or more three times in the same span. Pensacola fired 63 shots on net in Roanoke's 3-2 win on Saturday, the most by an opponent this season.

ROAD WARRIORS: The Rail Yard Dawgs complete a stretch of six consecutive road games on Friday, having gone 3-2-0 in the previous five. Roanoke is now 5-8-2 on the road this season.

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING: Jackson Brewer returned from a 13-game stint on injured reserve last Friday in Pensacola and promptly pitched in four points (two goals, two assists) over the weekend. Brewer had two goals and an assist during Friday's 4-3 overtime win, his first three-point performance of the season.

NEW HEIGHTS: Nick Schneider's assist on Saturday pushed him to 24 points, a new career-high set in his 34th game of the season. The Roanoke captain has eclipsed the 23 points he notched in 52 games with Peoria in 2014-15.

THEY'VE BEEN BUSY: Roanoke begins a stretch of three games in three days on Friday, the fourth time in the last five weeks that the Dawgs will have played a three-in-three.

PENALTY ASSASSINS: Entering Friday's game, Roanoke has not allowed power play goal in each of its last six and has killed off the last 15 penalties it has committed. The hot streak has bumped Roanoke's penalty kill success rate to 81%, eighth best in the league.

REVOLVING DOOR: In the past week the Rail Yard Dawgs have acquired defenseman Mike Donnellan in exchange for Tyler Gjurich, signed Jeremy Beirnes to a contract and saw Mike Driscoll, Travis Armstrong and Ryan de Melo loaned to ECHL teams. de Melo was returned on Friday after appearing in one game as a backup for the Swamp Rabbits.

UP NEXT: The Dawgs return home to the Roanoke Valley for a pair of games against the Macon Mayhem. Saturday's puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 PM at the Berglund Center.




SPHL Stories from February 10, 2017


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