Arts, Leisure and Sports
Majority owner Bob McGinn with the President’s Cup.. G Marrano photo.
The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs are champions of the Southern Professional Hockey League after a 2 to 1 overtime win against Birmingham last night at the Berglund Center. The Dawgs topped the Bulls 3 games to 1 in the series.
G Marrano photos
ROANOKE, VA. – The Rail Yard Dawgs (7-2) won the President’s Cup for the first time in franchise history, defeating the Birmingham Bulls (5-5) 2-1 in a Game Four overtime victory at Berglund Center. Josh Nenadal scored Roanoke’s first goal, while captain Mac Jansen netted the winner, giving him the first and last goals of the 2022-2023 season for the Dawgs and lifting Roanoke to its first-ever SPHL championship.
The first period was mostly controlled by the Dawgs, as they outshot Birmingham 10-2 in the opening 20 minutes. Mac Jansen and Gehrett Sargis each had a good look on net or two, but neither team could break the deadlock in what was a physical stretch in the game. The game was still 0-0 at the first intermission.
The penalties arrived in the second period, with five combined power plays between the two sides. The Dawgs once again outshot the Bulls 12-6 in the frame, but it was a centering feed by Nenadal at 14:11 that actually careened in off of Birmingham’s own Hayden Stewart to open the scoring. Roanoke took the 1-0 lead into the second intermission.
Roanoke and Birmingham battled in the third period, with the Dawgs looking to close out the series in regulation and the Bulls trying to stay alive. Roanoke was mere moments away from the title, when a Jordan Martin shot was tipped in by Birmingham’s Carson Rose with 10.1 seconds left in the third period. Somehow, someway, we were heading to overtime for the second straight night in Roanoke.
The Rail Yard Dawgs shook off the late equalizer in overtime, as Billy Vizzo was able to rumble his way while trying to maintain his balance into the Birmingham zone. The puck came to Jansen, and the captain’s first of the playoffs captured the President’s Cup for Roanoke. Roanoke goaltender Austyn Roudebush was named the Most Valuable Player of the President’s Cup Final.
Roudebush stopped 18-of-19 shots in the game, while Stewart made 33 saves on 35 shots faced for the Bulls. The Dawgs were 0-for-5 on the power play, while the Bulls went 0-for-4.
As Roanoke County prepares for a month full of events, one official reminds people where they can go to keep up-to-date on all the events ahead. WFIR’s Emma Thomas has that story:
ROANOKE, VA. – The Rail Yard Dawgs (6-2) outlasted the Birmingham Bulls (5-4) for a 5-4 overtime win in Game Three at Berglund Center. Dominiks Marcinkevics netted the game-winning goal in overtime, with other scores by John Stampohar, Nick Ford, CJ Stubbs, and Nick DeVito for Roanoke.
The first period was a tug of war, as both teams held leads in the frame. Birmingham scored first on an unassisted breakaway by Carson Rose at 9:22, but Roanoke quickly answered. Stampohar’s first professional goal at 10:45 brought the Dawgs even, and they looked for more. Roanoke gained its first lead of the night on a right wing blast by Ford at 17:16 that made it 2-1, but just 38 seconds later a Zac Masson tap-in goal tied the game at 2-all again. The game entered the intermission tied.
Roanoke got an early power play in the middle period, and Stubbs ripped a centering feed by Ford at 2:26 into the net to make it 3-2 for the hosts. Birmingham had three power plays in the period, but the Dawgs killed them off each time. After 40 minutes, Roanoke held a 3-2 lead. The battle continued to exchange hands in the third period, as a Jake Pappalardo goal at 1:27 quickly
equalized the score at 3-3 for the Bulls.
DeVito got on the end of a Ford assist at 4:55 to reinstate the lead at 4-3 for the Dawgs, and it seemed like Roanoke’s chances to close the game were through the roof when Birmingham’s Joe Colatarci was called for a five-minute major and a game misconduct for elbowing at 12:46. Instead, the Bulls not only killed the five minutes off the clock unscathed, but a Rose breakaway at 14:23 tied the score on a shorthanded finish by the Birmingham forward. Roanoke and Birmingham would need overtime to decide Game Three.
The Dawgs were still a bit rattled early in the overtime period, and both teams actually hit a post in the
first few minutes of the extra frame. But it was the Dawgs who outshot the Bulls 7-2 in the overtime, and 40-31 in the game, that would close it out. Marcinkevics was fed the puck by Matt O’Dea at the left wing circle, patiently waited to take the shot, and rattled the puck off of Birmingham’s Austin Lotz for the game-winning goal at 11:53.
The Dawgs take a 2-to-1 series lead in the best-of-five President’s Cup Final. Roanoke will host Game Four on Tuesday, May 2 at 7:05 p.m. EST at Berglund Center. Single-game tickets and parking passes for Game Four of the Final are on sale now both online and at the Berglund Center box office. Game Five, if necessary, will be on Thursday, May 4 at 8:00 P.M. EST at Pelham Civic Complex.
If you purchased a Playoff Package, please use Game E for Game Four. Season long parking passes and
Club 611 passes will be accepted at both of these games. Roanoke’s 2023 President’s Cup Playoffs run is sponsored by Haley Toyota of Roanoke
Photo: Strawberry Festival Flyer from their Facebook Page
Four days out from the Strawberry Festival, one organizer talks the prep work still ahead. WFIR’s Emma Thomas has that story:
A good start for the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs last night, as they go up 1 game to nothing in the best of 5 SPHL Presidents Cup Finals. One of the four Dawgs goal scorers last night – Stephen Alvo – will be suspended for game 2 tonight due to his actions during the game. Roanoke will be home on Monday night for game 3 at the Berglund Center. Mitch Stewart on the game ending call:
Roanoke will host Game Three and also Game Four, if necessary. Game Three will take place on Monday, May 1 at 7:05 P.M. EST, and Game Four, if necessary, will be on Tuesday, May 2 at the same time at Berglund Center. Single-game tickets and parking passes for Games 3 and 4 of the Final are on sale now both online and at the Berglund Center box office. Game Five, if necessary, will be on Thursday, May 4 at 8:00 P.M. EST at Pelham Civic Complex.
If you’re one of the many Virginians hitting the road this Summer, experts at AAA warn you to plan ahead. WFIR’s Emma Thomas has details on this year’s busy travel season:
Artists are opening their doors to the public for Open Studios Roanoke 2023 this weekend . WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno gives us a tour.
The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs took down Birmingham 4-2 on Thursday night to take a 1-0 lead in the SPHL President’s Cup Final. Stephen Alvo, Jason Lavallée, Nick Ford, and Matt O’Dea all scored goals for the Dawgs, while Austyn Roudebush made 25 saves. Game two will be tomorrow night in Birmingham.