For immediate release
For more information, contact: Joel Silverberg, Director of Broadcasting (865) 525-7825, joel@knoxvilleicebears.com.
Justin MacDonald had a goal and two assists and the Knoxville Ice Bears defeated the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs 7-5 at the Civic Coliseum Friday night.
The Ice Bears have won three of their last four. Roanoke has dropped two of three.
MacDonald got things started early for the Ice Bears with a one-timer from the top of the left circle just 1:31 into the game. Jagger Williamson made a long stretch pass to Dino Balsamo on the left wing. Balsamo entered the zone and dropped the puck to MacDonald, who blasted it past Brody Claeys’ glove side for his 34th goal of the year.
Roanoke took the lead with a pair of goals a little more than two minutes apart. Jordan Xavier scored on a wrist shot from the right circle at 7:04. C.J. Stubbs beat Kristian Stead on a rebound by the crease at 9:08.
Knoxville tied the game a minute later when Brett Ouderkirk finished off a centering feed at 10:09. Razmuz Waxin-Engback’s shot from the left circle was deflected and hit the back wall. He chased down his own rebound and slid the puck across in front, where Ouderkirk converted for his eighth goal of the season.
Balsamo put the Ice Bears in front again at 12:35. A shot from the point by Roanoke went wide and wrapped around the glass out for MacDonald in the neutral zone, resulting in a two-on-one. MacDonald pushed the puck up the right side before lifting it in front to Balsamo, who was able to get his stick on it and found the net.
Waxin-Engback put back a rebound less than a minute later to make it 4-2. Ryan Devine dropped the puck to Ouderkirk at the left point. Ouderkirk’s shot bounced off of Claeys and Waxin-Engback cleaned it up in front of the crease to cap off the first period scoring.
Rex Moe provided the only goal of the second period at 17:21 after he and MacDonald found themselves with a two-man breakaway in front of the net. Ryan Devine dumped the puck across to the right wing and Williamson poked it ahead through the circle past a pair of Roanoke skaters. Moe collected the puck in the right circle and worked a quick give-and-go with MacDonald before tapping the puck into the net to end Claeys’ night with eight saves. Austyn Roudebush came on in relief for the Rail Yard Dawgs.
Cam Hough scored early in the third off a breakaway to make it 6-2 at 1:18. Tanner Salsberry lined a long pass ahead to Hough in the neutral zone. Hough skated towards the crease and beat Roudebush with a wrist shot for his first goal since returning to Knoxville last weekend after a stint in the ECHL.
Stubbs and Gehrett Sargis scored midway through the third to cut Knoxville’s lead to two goals. Stubbs scored off another rebound and Sargis managed to get a bouncing puck on net after it was deflected in the slot.
Hough scored an empty-netter for his second of the night. Sargis beat Stead on a screen with 16 seconds left to cap off the scoring. Stead finished with 24 saves. Roudebush had seven stops for Roanoke.
The two teams head back to Virginia to cap off the regular season at the Berglund Center.
ABOUT The Knoxville Ice Bears: The Knoxville Ice Bears organization began in 2002 and was an inaugural charter member of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) in 2004. As four-time SPHL Champions and five-time regular season champions, the Ice Bears are an experienced and established organization, offering the city and its visitors a balanced product of highlight-reel hockey, unique and exciting intermission activity and endless fan interaction, presenting the most affordable, family-friendly way to enjoy sports and entertainment. Season, Partial Season and Flex Tickets are now on sale. For more information, visit www.knoxvilleicebears.com or call (865) 525-7825.
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