ROANOKE, VA. – The Rail Yard Dawgs announced on Sunday that the team has signed forward/defenseman Gehrett Sargis and goaltender Mac Berglove. Defenseman Matt O’Dea was also activated from the 21-day injured reserve list, while forward Chris Vella was added to the 21-day injured reserve. Lastly, defenseman Charlie Pelnik was released from his contract.
Sargis was protected by the Dawgs in the preseason, but played all season with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. In 37 games for Utah, the versatile five-foot-11 skater tallied three goals, 11 assists, and a plus-three plus/minus rating. Prior to this season, Sargis had appeared in 154 SPHL games with Knoxville and Pensacola since the 2015-16 season, tallying 35 career goals and 33 assists at this level. Last season, the Midlothian, Illinois native was part of the FPHL Ignite Cup championship team in Columbus with fellow Dawgs Mac Jansen, Matt O’Dea, Brant Sherwood, CJ Stubbs, and Vojtech Zemlicka. Sargis will wear number 55 for the Dawgs.
Berglove joins the team fresh out of St. John’s University (NCAA-DIII) in Minnesota, the same alma mater of fellow Dawg Brady Heppner. In five seasons with the Johnnies, the Elk River, Minnesota native appeared in 59 games with a 25-13-8 record. The six-foot goalie recorded a .923 save percentage and a 2.17 goals against average, and will wear number 33 for Roanoke.
O’Dea was placed on the injured reserve in mid-February after an injury against Fayetteville. The five-foot-11 blue-liner has 14 goals and 10 assists in 34 games for Roanoke this season, as well as a team-best plus-22 plus/minus rating. O’Dea still leads all SPHL defensemen in goals, despite missing nine games this year.
Vella was suspended one game following Friday’s game against Peoria, and will now be on the injured reserve for the next three weeks. The five-foot-ten center leads the SPHL with 16 fighting majors this season, while also notching six goals and seven assists for Roanoke.
Pelnik played in 21 games this season for the Dawgs, notching four assists and 45 penalty minutes for Roanoke this season. Pelnik began the season with the FPHL’s Carolina Thunderbirds, recording two assists in three games in his rookie season. The six-foot-five defenseman previously played 48 games at Oswego State University (NCAA-DIII), tallying one goal and four assists in his collegiate career.
The Rail Yard Dawgs are on the road today to face the Peoria Rivermen at 4:15 p.m. EST. Wisler Plumbing and Air Family Four Packs, group tickets, 2022-2023 season tickets, and single game tickets for home games are on sale now, and you can listen to the games on the Haley Toyota Rail Yard Dawgs Hockey Network via Mixlr or watch it on HockeyTV.