HUNTERSVILLE, NC (January 23, 2024) – The SPHL announced today that Steven Leonard of the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs has been named the Warrior/SPHL Player of the Week for January 15-21.
Leonard tallied five goals, added an assist, and was +4 as Roanoke went a perfect 3-0-0, picking up wins over the Macon Mayhem and the Huntsville Havoc as the Dawgs won for the ninth time in their last 10 games.
In his first game back from a loan to ECHL Iowa, Leonard helped mount a Roanoke comeback on Friday. After finding themselves down 3-0 at the first intermission, Leonard found the back of the net for the Dawgs’ second goal of the game at 7:28 of the second period. Leonard would add two more goals and an assist, completing his hat trick with a power-play goal at the 14:11 mark of the third period as Roanoke rattled off seven unanswered goals to beat Macon 7-3.
Down 3-2 halfway through the second period on Saturday, Leonard collected his first of two goals that would help Roanoke knot the score at 3-3 heading into the third period. After a scoreless final frame, Leonard played hero as he found the back of the net with less than a second remaining as the Dawgs edged the Havoc 5-4 in overtime.
With his six-point week, the Rockaway Park, NY native surpassed his goal total from the 2022-2023 season. This season, Leonard has seven goals, five assists, and two game-winning goals to go along with a power play and short-handed tally.
Other nominees for the Warrior Player of the Week were: Drake Glover, Birmingham (3g, 1a), Grant Loven, Fayetteville (1g, 3a, +3), Eric Henderson Huntsville (3g, 3a, +3), Riley Morris, Knoxville (1-0-0, 1.00 gaa, .977 sv%), Michael McChesney, Macon (4g)
