Rail Yard Dawgs Game Notes: Rail Yard Dawgs (24-22-4) vs Ice Bears (26-18-5) - 7:05 PM
March 22, 2019 - Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs News Release
ROANOKE RAIL YARD DAWGS
(24-22-4), 7th SPHL, 52 Pts
KNOXVILLE ICE BEARS
(26-18-5), 4th SPHL, 57 Pts
Friday - 7:05 PM
Berglund Center - Roanoke, VA
Haley Toyota Broadcast: SPHL Live | Mixlr
Referee: Zane Stout| Linesmen: Alex Germany-Wald, John Rey
LAST TIME OUT: Maxime Guyon had two goals and an assist, Jacob Caffrey made 24 saves and the Rail Yard Dawgs shut out the Evansville Thunderbolts, 3-0, Saturday night at the Ford Center. Roanoke clinched a spot in the SPHL postseason with the win.
WE'RE IN: The Rail Yard Dawgs' win on Saturday clinched the second postseason appearance in franchise history. Roanoke currently sits in seventh place with 52 points. In the SPHL's Challenge Round playoff format, the teams that finish 5-8 in the standings are all eligible to be selected by the top three seeds as their first round opponent, with the first seed getting first pick. If Knoxville, Fayetteville or Macon surpasses 60 points, the Rail Yard Dawgs would be guaranteed to be a team available for selection in the Challenge Round.
ZEROES ON THE BOARD: Jacob Caffrey made 24 saves on 24 shots on Saturday in Evansville and recorded his first professional shutout. It was the first shutout by a Rail Yard Dawg goaltender this season and the third in franchise history. The previous two came when Ryan de Melo blanked the Macon Mayhem with 37 saves in a 3-0 win on February 11, 2017 and Brad Barone stopped 24 shots and went 5-for-5 on shootout attempts against in a 1-0 shootout win over the Birmingham Bulls on January 28, 2018.
WELCOME WOLTER: The Rail Yard Dawgs claimed forward Colton Wolter of SPHL waivers on Wednesday. Roanoke will be Wolter's third SPHL team this season; he opened with the Huntsville Havoc and played 40 games before being let go and waiver claimed by the Peoria Rivermen after six games. The Fairbanks, Alaska native has four goals and six assists over his combined 46 games this season. Wolter is in his first pro season out of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he was a teammate of current Dawg Mac Jansen for four seasons.
QUICK HITS: Steve Mele has goals in four of his last five games and seven points (6 G, 1 A) in his last seven games...Colin Murray leads the Dawgs with eight points (4 G, 4 A) against Knoxville.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Rail Yard Dawgs return to Berglund Center ice on Friday for the first time since February 16, when they defeated the Huntsville Havoc, 4-3. Roanoke has played it's last 11 games on the road- a stretch during which it went 4-6-1.The Dawgs will play their next four games at home before finishing the regular season with a pair of road games against the Birmingham Bulls. Roanoke is 13-10-1 at home this season.
UP NEXT: The Rail Yard Dawgs will welcome the Fayetteville Marksmen to town for the final scheduled meeting between the two teams this season. It's the third-annual Wiener Dawg Race game and puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 PM at Berglund Center.
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Southern Professional Hockey League Stories from March 22, 2019
- Bulls Win on the Road in Evansville - Birmingham Bulls
- Rail Yard Dawgs Comeback Attempt Falls Short, 3-2 - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
- Preview: Mayhem at Pensacola Ice Flyers (Game 51) - Macon Mayhem
- Rail Yard Dawgs Game Notes: Rail Yard Dawgs (24-22-4) vs Ice Bears (26-18-5) - 7:05 PM - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
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