The countdown to opening night for the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs ice hockey season is underway and with just over 90 days to go, the team is set with its 28 home dates for the upcoming 2022-23 campaign.
The Dawgs return after an exciting run to the Southern Professional Hockey League’s President Cup final in April that included wins over #1 seed Knoxville and #2 seed Huntsville before falling to the Peoria Rivermen in the expanded best-three-of-five-games championship.
Roanoke opens its home season at the Berglund Center on Friday, October 21. Specific opponents are still being determined. Of the 28 games on the Berglund pond, 21 will fall on a Friday or Saturday night. Five home dates are set for a Thursday, with one on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving and one on the last Sunday of March.
Indeed, the Dawgs will be holiday friendly this winter, with home dates set the night before and after Thanksgiving, plus a home game two nights prior to Christmas and a Thursday through Saturday 3-game set in place to end the year December 29-31.
The Rail Yard Dawgs have their protected player list in place that brings back the core of the team that led the playoff run. The list includes forwards Travis Broughman, Nick DeVito, Nick Ford, Brady Heppner, Mac Jansen and CJ Stubbs. Defensemen Sean Leonard, Bryce Martin, Matt O’Dea, C.J. Valerian, Jarrad Vroman and Casey Winn join the list along with goaltender Sammy Bernard.
Roanoke head coach Dan Bremner noted in May that three more players, forwards Josh Nenadal and Chris Vella, plus goalie Austyn Roudebush expressed their desire to return to Roanoke when training camp begins in early October. As for fan-favorites Travis Armstrong, Jeff Jones, Brant Sherwood and Gehrett Sargis, Bremner said there are still some personal decisions to be made by those players.
“They’ve each made a great impact on the team during their time with the Dawgs, and they’ll be contemplating their hockey futures this summer,” Bremner said. “I told all four of them that they’ll always have a home in Roanoke should they decide to return next season, so we’ll wait and see.”
Season ticket sales are underway at the Dawgs front office for fans wanting to secure the best seats in the house for the upcoming season. Likewise, Dawgs merchandise is on sale for the hockey fan wanting to make a fashion statement once the ice is frozen.
Bill Turner
