Dawgs Sign Roche, Place Alvo on IR
March 23, 2023 - SPHL (SPHL)
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs News Release
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs defenseman Stephen Alvo
(Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, Credit: Brian Collett // BC Captures)
ROANOKE, VA. - The Rail Yard Dawgs announced on Thursday that the team has signed defenseman Billy Roche, and have also placed defenseman Stephen Alvo on the 21-day injured reserve list retroactive to March 18.
Alvo joined the Dawgs prior to the start of this season after suiting up with the SPHL's Birmingham Bulls and ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen last year. The five-foot-eleven defenseman has appeared in 46 of Roanoke's 48 games this season, notching six goals. 15 assists, and a plus-eight rating along the blue line for the Dawgs. During the 2021-22 campaign, Alvo played in 44 games for the Bulls, tallying two goals, 13 assists, and a plus-one plus/minus rating. Alvo also appeared alongside fellow Dawg Nick Ford in his only ECHL appearance on January 28 before returning to Birmingham. The Toronto native spent his first two professional seasons with HK Spisska Nova Ves in the Slovakia Extraliga, and recorded one goal and six assists in 42 total games played. Alvo will be eligible to return for the Dawgs at the end of the regular season on April 9.
Roche heads to the Dawgs after playing five combined seasons of collegiate hockey at Suffolk University and Curry College (both NCAA-DIII). The six-foot-two defenseman played his first four years at Suffolk, where he had eight goals, 22 assists, and 48 penalty minutes in 65 total games. The 25-year old was the team's captain in the 2021-22 season after serving as alternate captain during the prior season. As a grad transfer for Curry this past season, Roche recorded six goals, four assists, six penalty minutes, and a plus-seven rating in 29 games for the Colonels, as they advanced all the way to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals before losing to second-seeded Hobart. The Braintree, Massachusetts native played two seasons of junior hockey, primarily in the EHL and NCDC.
Roanoke will return home this Friday night, March 24 at 7:05 p.m. EST against the Fayetteville Marksmen at Berglund Center. Season tickets and single-game tickets are available by calling the Rail Yard Dawgs office, visiting the 'Tickets' page on our website, or by visiting the Berglund Center box office.
Images from this story
 Defenseman Billy Roche with Suffolk University (Suffolk Univ. Athletics) |
 Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs defenseman Stephen Alvo (Brian Collett // BC Captures) |
SPHL Stories from March 23, 2023
- Dawgs Sign Roche, Place Alvo on IR - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
