For Immediate Release:

October 18, 2019

DAWGS SETTLE FOR POINT, FALL TO ICE FLYERS IN OT, 3-2

Stephen Klein makes 46 saves on 49 shots in losing effort

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Stephen Klein made 46 saves, Brant Sherwood had a goal and an assist and Brad Riccardi scored his first professional goal but the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs fell to the Pensacola Ice Flyers in overtime, 3-2, Friday night at the Pensacola Bay Center.

With the Dawgs trailing, 2-1, late in the third period, Klein was pulled in favor of an extra attacker. Off a won faceoff, Sherwood controlled the puck in the left wing corner and fed a pass toward the back door. It caromed off an Ice Flyer and skittered to Riccardi in the slot. He ripped a shot past Pensacola goaltender Chase Perry to tie the game at two and force overtime.

In the opening minute of OT, the Ice Flyers gained the zone with Garrett Milan, who squeaked by the Roanoke defense and carried the puck to the net. He put a move on and slid the puck toward the net. Klein got a piece of the puck but left a rebound in the crease and Eddie Matsushima was first to it and hammered home the rebound for the game-winning goal. The Dawgs were forced to settle for one point as they fell in OT, 3-2.

Roanoke got on the board first in the final seconds of the opening period. The Ice Flyers turned the puck over in their own zone and Travis Armstrong fed Sherwood in the slot. He ripped a shot that Perry partially blocked but the puck eventually trickled over the goal line to make the score 1-0 with 1.4 seconds remaining in the period.

Pensacola came out firing in the second period and continually put pressure on Klein. The Ice Flyers outshot the Dawgs, 24-2, in a middle frame that featured several highlight-reel stops from Roanoke’s goalie. Meirs Moore did strike twice in the period, first off a slap shot that navigated traffic and beat a screened Klein to tie the game at one. Later, while working on a power play, Moore’s shot deflected off a Roanoke defenseman in front of the net and lit the lamp to put the Ice Flyers on top, 2-1.

Klein stopped 46 of the 49 shots he faced, Wahlin had two assists and Sherwood had a goal and an assist to pace to Roanoke offense. Milan had three assists and Matsushima a goal and two assists to lead the way for the Ice Flyers.

Roanoke moved to 0-0-1 with the season-opening OT loss while Pensacola improved to 1-0-0. The Dawgs again take on the Ice Flyers on Saturday night in Pensacola. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:05 PM EDT and the pregame show on the Haley Toyota Rail Yard Dawgs Hockey Network begins at 7:50 PM.

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