The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs will be looking for a bag full of presents from Santa heading into their final 8 games of 2018.
Nearly one-third through the 2018-19 SPHL schedule, Roanoke finds itself in seventh place in the standings, with a 7-9-0 record, good for 14 points.
Right behind the Dawgs are Pensacola (12 points) and Quad City (12 points), with Quad City having two games in hand over Roanoke to improve their position.
The top eight teams in then 10-team SPHL make the playoff cut in April.
The top of the standings is dominated by a trio of teams that have separated themselves from the rest with extremely strong starts. Birmingham leads the way with a 15-2-0 record and 30 points, followed by the Macon Mayhem (13-3-2) and the Peoria Rivermen at 11-1-3. Roanoke has given both Birmingham and Macon one of their losses.
The Dawgs don’t play Peoria until late-February, when the Dawgs play three straight nights in the Rivermen’s barn during a grueling 11-game road trip that also includes three straight games at Quad City. Ironically, neither Peoria or Quad City visit Roanoke during the regular season.
Roanoke has turned things around after losing three straight at the Berglund Center, including a setback to Huntsville on November 24 followed by a pair of losses to Macon November 30-December 1. The Dawgs regrouped to knock off Birmingham, then split a pair in Macon to grab 4 points from the three game in three nights set.
Roanoke’s next eight could be crucial in gaining points. The Dawgs travel to Knoxville on December 14, followed by a home tilt against Fayetteville Saturday, December 15.
Roanoke plays home-and-home with Fayetteville on December 21-22, with Roanoke traveling to North Carolina on that Friday before the rematch the next night in Roanoke.
The Dawgs hit the road for a games in Fayetteville December 26 and two nights later in Knoxville. Roanoke closes out 2018 with a pair at The Berglund Center. Macon visits December 29, with Knoxville hitting the Berglund ice on News Year’s Eve.
All home games in Roanoke begin with the puck dropping at 7:05.
Bill Turner
