ROANOKE, VA. – The SPHL announced on Thursday that Roanoke defensemen Brendan Pepe and Matt O’Dea have both been named to the league’s All-SPHL teams. Pepe was named to the All-SPHL First Team, while O’Dea was named to the All-SPHL Second Team.
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 largest increase in individual points from last season to this season, improving by 32 points from his nine-point total last season. 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 has three power play goals in four 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.
O’Dea is in his fourth season with the Dawgs, and his 32 assists and 0.91 points per game average both ranked first among the SPHL defensemen leaderboards. The five-foot-eleven defenseman finished just one point behind Pepe and Peoria’s Zach Wilkie for the league lead, despite missing 12 games due to various injuries in the regular season. O’Dea has been among the best offensive producers from the blue line in the SPHL over the past three years, tallying 31 goals (most among SPHL defensemen) and 70 assists in 132 games since the start of the 2021-2022 regular season, the second-most points among SPHL defensemen over the past three years. The Orland Park, Illinois native added two goals and two assists during the team’s run to the President’s Cup title last spring, and has added three assists in four postseason games this year. O’Dea is in his second season serving as an alternate captain for the Dawgs, and he currently ranks among the franchise’s top seven all-time leaders for games played (176), goals (37), assists (83), and points (120).
The Rail Yard Dawgs will host the Huntsville Havoc for Game Two of their 2024 President’s Cup semifinals series on Friday, April 19, at 7:05 P.M. EST at Berglund Center. Game Three, if necessary, will be on Saturday, April 20, at 7:05 P.M. EST at Berglund Center.
Single-game playoff tickets and parking passes are on sale now, and can be purchased online or by visiting the Berglund Center box office. Other ticket packages and group tickets are on sale now by contacting the Rail Yard Dawgs office. Roanoke’s President’s Cup Playoff run is sponsored by Haley Toyota of Roanoke.
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