FAYETTEVILLE, NC – In what was a battle of two Goliaths, Dillon Kelley and Jacob Caffrey both left it all on the ice Friday night in Fayetteville. There was a lot on the line for both teams, the Marksmen were looking to snap a four game losing streak while the Rail Yard Dawgs were looking to extend their three game winning streak. Ultimately it was the Dawgs that prevailed in this chapter of the storied rivalry.
As the puck dropped the Rail Yard Dawgs went on attack, taking the first three shots on goal. Young Marksmen Defensemen Alfred Johansson was sent to the penalty box for a slashing penalty, putting the Dawgs on the power play for the first time in the night. The Dawgs ranked ninth in the league on the power play however with Johansson serving time, Brian Rowland snuck one past Dillon Kelley. With the Dawgs up 1-0 and the game back at even strength, the Marksmen were left playing catch-up. Darren McCormick received a beautiful pass from Tyler Palmer, banging one off the crossbar and in, evening things at 1-0.
What followed McCormick’s goal was an impressive performance in the crease from both Dillon Kelley and Jacob Caffrey. Just 31 seconds into the second period, Eric Witzel was sent to the box for holding. With Witzel in the box, the Marksmen were looking to capitalize. What followed saw the Marksmen claim seven of the eight shots-on-goal all being stopped by Caffrey. Tyler Palmer was sent to the penalty box for tripping, putting the Marksmen back on the penalty kill. The Marksmen made up for their earlier mistakes on the PK, killing off their penalty. As the horn sounded to conclude the second period things were all tied up at 1-1.
As the third and final period of play began, both teams needed someone to deliver a big play. Dillon Kelley was all over the place, blocking shots that were not meant to be blocked. With under seven minutes remaining, a shot bounced off the crossbar and back into play. The fans in the Crown Coliseum all let out a sigh of relief as their Marksmen were still in it. Nearing the final minutes, Eric Witzel had a ton of momentum heading into the Marksmen zone and launched a shot on a hope and a prayer, just getting it past Kelley. With the Dawgs up 2-1 late in the period, the Marksmen went on the attack. Jacob Caffrey was taking every puck shot at him and blocking each one, making stellar saves consistently. As the horn sounded and both teams headed to their respective locker rooms, it was the Rail Yard Dawgs who came away with the win.
After the game, Pro Hockey News caught up with Marksmen Head Coach Jesse Kallechy to get his thoughts on his teams performance.
“We played well, that was just a really good hockey game. It was just two teams that played well, they just got one more save than us. There’s no secret to scoring goals, you have to find a way to win some puck battles in front and score some ugly ones and we had some chances but tonight we just didn’t do it…
“Overall, we played really well. We had our chances, we sat back a little bit in the third and we had our chance to win it but we didn’t take advantage of it.”
Marksmen Assistant Coach Peter Worrell praised his team on the defensive side of the puck.
“We allowed one goal on five-on-five, they scored a power play goal on a broken play. Overall, I thought our defense was pretty good tonight. I thought as a team, defensively we were really good today. I think the third period as group, we sat back a little bit too much instead of being on toes. That’s not a game, defensively were we look at it as a bad effort. They battled, they competed, they moved the puck up, they made some good reads getting the puck up, again defended well on the five-on-five and that’s kinda what you’re looking for.”
Both Goaltenders played well with Jacob Caffrey stopping 25-of-26 shots, while Dillon Kelley stopped 26-of-28. The Rail Yard Dawgs extend their win streak to four games, while the Marksmen dropped their fifth game in a row.
Photos by James Jackson
Follow the author on Twitter: @JamesDJackson98
You must be logged in to post a comment.