Guest writer Natalie Mullins shares an in-depth look at the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs as they compete in the 2021-22 season.
Editor’s Note: This piece was originally written for Dale Jenkins’ media writing class at Virginia Tech.
You can also learn more about the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs coach, Daniel Bremner, as one of our winners in the 40 Under 40 Class of 2023.
The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs began the 2022-23 season with a franchise-best start after a devastating post-season loss in May.
“Last year was great, but it’s all about this year now. It’s all about finishing that job that we started last year because we expect that of ourselves. We hope the fans expect that of us as well,” says Jarrad Vroman, a rookie who joined the team in March after finishing up his season at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. “All great teams come with expectations. You have to find a way to meet those, so I think that’s something that’s definitely fueling us this year. When you come close, it’s always great motivation for the following year.”
Entering the 2021-22 season, the Dawgs started slow after missing the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19. The team lost the first six games of the season, so no one expected the under-Dawgs to make a successful playoff run come April.
Fast-forward to mid-March, the team broke a nine-game losing streak and clinched a playoff spot three wins later. By the end of the regular season, the Dawgs’ record stood at 23-33, landing them in eighth place and a berth in the playoffs by the skin of their teeth.
“[The positivity] was kind of infectious right away; once I got there and we started winning a couple games, all minds turned toward the playoffs,” Vroman says.
Per the Southern Professional Hockey League President’s Cup Playoff format, the No. 8 seed team plays the No. 1 seed team for a best-of-three matchup. This pitted the Dawgs against the Knoxville Ice Bears. In their most recent encounter, the teams split a two-game series. This post-season matchup could have gone either way.
Even though the Dawgs outshot their opponents, they came up short. The team lost the first game of the series by a 4-1 score. The Ice Bears came to Roanoke for Game 2, giving the Dawgs the coveted home ice advantage. Roanoke bested the top-seeded team in a 5-1 victory. It all came down to the third game: winner advances, loser goes home. The Dawgs upset the regular season champions in a 3-1 win, earning a chance to spar with the Huntsville Havoc.
“Definitely not the start you’d expect when trying to upset the No. 1 seed and losing the first game, but I just think it goes to show the chemistry we built as a group really quickly where we weren’t phased and we knew we were still capable as a group,” Vroman says.
Four days after the electrifying win in Knoxville, the Dawgs took on the Havoc at home. The Roanoke team swept Huntsville right back to Alabama with a 5-3 victory followed by a shutout win two days later. The only obstacle between the President’s Cup and the Dawgs was arguably their fiercest competition: the Peoria Rivermen.
Bad blood exists between the Dawgs and the Rivermen of Peoria, Illinois. The Dawgs’ head coach, Dan Bremner, served as Peoria’s captain during his time in the SPHL. Player swaps between the two teams have occurred over the years, fueling a nasty rivalry that came to a head in the final round of the playoffs. In the regular season, Roanoke and Peoria met five times; the Dawgs came out victorious only once.
The championship round of the playoffs was a best-of-five series. The first two games took place in Peoria and resulted in two Dawgs losses. Down to the wire once again, the third, and potentially final game, came to the Dawg’ home ice at the Berglund Center.
“[When] playing at home, it’s definitely easy to feel that energy, especially with a fan-base like we have in the Dawgs,” Vroman says. “You kind of hear that crowd rise and it feels like the roof blows off the place.”
Roanoke and the Rivermen were neck and neck throughout the competition, tied 3-3 entering the last period of play. The Dawgs netted the game winning goal halfway through the third period and the crowd of over 4,500 roared. Peoria did not answer, so to a fourth game they went.
The fourth game of the championship series stayed at the Berglund Center. Roanoke had a 2-0 lead in the second period, but Peoria scored two unanswered goals before the clock ran out. Sixty minutes did not produce a victory, so the fans settled in for overtime. Peoria scored in the first minute of the overtime period and claimed the President’s Cup.
“As an athlete and a competitor, everyone’s just disappointed and upset that we weren’t able to complete the job, but I think it didn’t even really hit me until I got back in Roanoke for the start of this season,” Vroman says. “Our confidence is just at another level and there is a bit of that revenge and unfinished business.”
According to a Coach’s Corner interview between Mitch Stewart, the Dawg’s media manager and play-by-play broadcaster, and Bremner, a combined 8,000 fans attended the two home games of the championship round on a Monday and Tuesday night. The regular season attendance average for home games was 3,393, while the average for the playoffs was 3,556. The success of the team enticed more fans to come out, even when the team played on weeknights. In the same interview, Bremner thanked the crowd and the community for “coming out in droves” to support the team.
“I’ve never seen a fanbase care quite the same way that ours does. There’s a level of passion and pride that our fans take in our team,” says Mickey Gray, president of the team. “I think that’s why we have one of the best home ice advantages in the SPHL because our fans are into it. The pride and intensity they have for this team is substantial.”
Moving forward into the 2022-23 season, the team started off strong with a 4-2 win over the Fayetteville Marksmen in the Dawgs’ home opener on Oct. 21. The Dawgs have played 24 games thus far, notching 15 wins, losing seven in regulation and one each in overtime and a shootout. The team is currently tied with the Peoria Rivermen in the league standings with 32 points each, putting the teams deadlocked for first place.
“We see ourselves as a top team; we’ve had great opportunities this season to start off and place ourselves and cement ourselves as a top team,” Vroman says. “We don’t want any Cinderella stories this season. We want to be going in the playoffs expecting to be there at the end.”
Over half of the players from the playoff roster returned to Roanoke to compete in the current season. The chemistry developed between teammates in the spring has allowed the current roster to gel quicker, leading to more wins at the beginning of this season.
“I think that that’s a major advantage. It’s not something that you see year over year very often in this league where there’s such a major portion of your roster that returns,” Stewart says. “I think that’s why Roanoke has been able to figure it out in the early part of this year.”
With much of the team is returning, one big difference exists this season. Last season’s captain, Travis Armstrong, did not return to the hockey world, leaving big shoes to fill both on the blue line and as a leader. Forward Mac Jansen, playing his fourth season in the Star City, accepted this task and is sporting a “C” on his jersey.
“Mac Jansen filling the role as captain has been the smoothest transition you could’ve ever imagined. As far as being what the team needs each and every night, Mac’s been great at filling that,” Vroman says. “He’s done an awesome job of keeping our mantra of always being levelheaded: not too high, not too low.”
One idea Bremner promotes to his team this season are the three C’s: cohesion, competition and commitment, a philosophy he deems essential to the Dawgs finding their identity as a team early in the season. Vroman believes the earlier the team solidifies its identity through these values, the sooner it will compete in playoff-style hockey and ultimately become prepared for the post-season.
“The competition is a huge part. We have some guys that are very fiery, very competitive down there when we’re skating in practice against each other which is awesome to see,” Bremner says. “I think they’re all embracing [the three C’s]; they’ve all taken it on themselves to push that message forward.”
Ironing out the special teams will dictate the Dawgs’ success this season, according to Stewart. Special teams refer to the combination of players who take the ice during a powerplay or a penalty kill. Stewart said when playing even strength hockey, the Dawgs are one of the best teams in the league, but scoring on the man advantage chances and protecting their defensive zone when the team goes down a skater will determine the team’s success.
So far this season, the team has hosted 11 home games with an average attendance of 4,293. The fans from the playoffs return to the arena to see what the Dawgs have in store this season, and the team is ready for the fight.
“The regular season is great, but we want that President’s Cup at the end of the season now,” Vroman says.
About the Writer:
Natalie Mullins is a Vinton native currently pursing a journalism degree at Virginia Tech. In her free time she loves traveling, reading and watching hockey. Her post-grad plans are to pursue a career in magazine writing and design.
