ROANOKE, Va – Cuddly stuffed animals went flying onto the ice Saturday night, in celebration of the Rail Yard Dawgs Teddy Bear Toss. At the 7:08 mark of the first period, Roanoke’s Billy Roche channeled a rebound for Nick Ford, scoring the first goal. That unleashed the shower of over 2000 stuffed animals.
Birmingham took the lead in the second period, with a power play goal from MacGregor Sinclair. Roanoke battled back in the third with a goal from Owen McDade. The game ended with a tied score, 2-2. In overtime, both goalies, Roanoke’s Austyn Roudebush and Birmingham’s Hayden Stewart, blocked each shot attempted, bringing the game to a shootout. Roanoke’s Brendan Pepe scored the winning shot in the fifth round for the 3-2 victory. Roudebush had 22 saves on 24 shots from Birmingham and Stewart faced 36 shots from Roanoke, saving 33.
Check out the gallery from Inside the Rink’s Michele Hancock, who was there to catch the action.
