November 25, 2017

Fayetteville, N.C- For the second straight night, the Fayetteville Marksmen battled back from an early deficit to force overtime, but ultimately fell to the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, 3-2, Saturday night at the Crown Coliseum.

Each team traded chances and penalties in the first period, with the best offensive opportunity for the Marksmen coming in the form of an extended five-on-three power play, but the Marksmen were unable to work one past Ryan de Melo, ending the frame 0-0.

It only took 1:35 into the second frame to find the game’s first goal, courtesy of Dmytro Babenko. Attempting to clear the puck out of their zone, a Marksmen pass was intercepted by Babenko, allowing him the space to walk in on Michael Santaguida, all alone, roofing a shot to give the Rail Yard Dawgs a 1-0 lead.

The Rail Yard Dawgs made it a 2-0 game at the 11:50 mark of the middle period. Just after the expiration of a five-on-three opportunity, Riley Spraggs flew down the rightwing boards, feeding an area pass just in front of the crease of Santaguida, where Paul Russell deflected the puck to the back of the net.

Pushing the pace to begin the third period, the Marksmen cut their deficit to one. Off a faceoff win, Max Cook pushed a pass towards John Schiavo, who was tied up on the play but managed to get the blade of his stick on the puck and past de Melo to make it 2-1.

For the second straight night, the Marksmen completed the comeback and evened the game up at 2-2. While shorthanded, Kyle McNeil picked up the loose puck along the rightwing boards, scooted through the neutral zone and rocketed a long wrister past de Melo.

Regulation time proved to not be enough and the game headed to three-on-three, sudden death overtime.

In the extra period, the Marksmen pressured de Melo, peppering him with opportunities, but the puck squirted out of the crease and was pushed through the neutral zone by the Rail Yard Dawgs. Santaguida came out to the slot, attempting to knock the puck away from a streaking Spraggs, but couldn’t handle it cleanly, giving Spraggs the open net for the game winner.

Game Notes: Schiavo extended his point streak to six games. Jake Hauswirth extended his point streak to six games. Michael Santaguida stopped 37 of the 40 shots he faced. The Marksmen registered their third shorthanded goal of the season. The Marksmen earned five of a possible six points this weekend.

Next Game: Thursday, November 30, 2017 @ Knoxville Ice Bears

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The Fayetteville Marksmen are owned and operated by Union Pro Hockey Group and play their home games at Crown Coliseum. The Marksmen are a committed community asset, designed to provide premium entertainment to families and individuals in Cumberland County and surrounding areas.