ROANOKE, VA. – The SPHL announced on Monday that Roanoke’s Brendan Pepe has been named the SPHL’s Defenseman of the Year.
Pepe is in his second full professional season with Roanoke, and led all SPHL defensemen with 13 goals while his 41 points were tied for the league lead. The six-foot-three defenseman had the league’s largest increase in individual points from last season to this season, improving by 32 points from his nine-point total last season. It’s the largest single-season increase in points by a defenseman throughout the SPHL since Ed Snetsinger improved his point total by 33 points from 2010-2011 to 2011-2012 for the Augusta Riverhawks.
The 28-year-old blue-liner also had a plus-24 rating in the regular season, and was one of just 10 SPHL players to complete an ‘Ironman’ season by appearing in all 56 games for the Dawgs. Pepe had three power play goals and an assist in six postseason games this spring, and had two assists during Roanoke’s run to a President’s Cup last season. The Essex Fells, New Jersey native previously played for the FPHL’s Danbury Hat Tricks and Stony Brook University (ACHA) before signing with Roanoke prior to the 2022-2023 season.
Season tickets and other ticket packages for the 2024-2025 season are on sale now by contacting the Rail Yard Dawgs office.
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