Courtesy: Brian Gardner/Rail Yard Dawgs
ROANOKE, VA – The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs erased what was a 3-0 deficit to tie the game at three in the third period but allowed two late goals and fell to the Huntsville Havoc, 5-3, Friday night at the Berglund Center. Massimo Lamacchia scored twice as the Dawgs lost their fifth straight game.
Trailing 3-0 entering the second period, it was Lamacchia who started the Roanoke scoring. He took a pass in the slot and chipped a shot over the shoulder of Adam Courchaine to cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Dawgs would strike again late in the period with just under three minutes to go. Nick Schneider took a shot from just outside the high slot that Courchaine blocked but lost sight of. He turned around to look for the puck as Schneider charged in after the rebound that had nestled at the top of the crease. He banged it in for his first goal of the season, cutting the deficit to one.
Roanoke continued its comeback in the third, again by way of Lamacchia. He fished the puck out of the right wing corner and threw it toward the net of Courchaine. The puck, which was shot from below the goal line, bounced off of Courchaine's shoulder and squeaked into the net to tie the game.
With the score now 3-3, Huntsville fought back with just over three minutes to go. Justin Tateson was able to find a loose puck in the slot off of an odd-man rush and wrist it over the catching glove of Brandon Anderson to put Huntsville on top, 4-3. Just 14 seconds later the Havoc struck again when Sy Nutkevitch carried the puck deep and lifted a short-side wrister over Anderson's shoulder to extend the lead to 5-3.
Lamacchia recorded his second two-goal game of the season. Anderson made 26 saves on 31 shots in his first game since being activated from injured reserve. The Rail Yard Dawgs finished 0-for-8 on the power play.
The Havoc got their first three goals in the first period. John Clewlow beat Anderson with a wrister from the slot, Mike Piluso found a loose rebound and backhanded it home and Dylan Nowakowski cashed in on a breakaway.
Roanoke's fifth-straight loss dropped its record to 4-7-2 while Huntsville improved to 11-4-0 with the win. The Rail Yard Dawgs and Havoc play the second half of a back-to-back on Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 7:05 PM at the Berglund Center.