SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Arkansas Hockey’s ACHA Division II team closed out September with plenty of momentum, responding to a difficult opening weekend by rattling off four consecutive victories to finish the first month of the 2026-27 season with a 4-2-0 record.
The Razorbacks opened the season with a pair of losses against Oklahoma State before bouncing back with consecutive sweeps of Georgia and Iowa. Arkansas finished September with 28 goals scored and 21 allowed, including 23 goals over its final four games.
Oklahoma State Spoils Opening Weekend
Arkansas opened the 2026-27 campaign Sept. 10 with a trip to Tulsa to face Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys handed the Razorbacks their first loss of the season with a 6-3 victory, sending Arkansas back to Springdale looking for a response in the second half of the series.
Oklahoma State maintained the upper hand the following night at The Jones Center.
The Cowboys scored twice in the opening period and added two more in the second to build a 4-2 advantage through 40 minutes. Oklahoma State added another goal in the third while holding Arkansas scoreless in the final period to secure a 5-2 victory and complete the sweep.
The results left Arkansas at 0-2 to begin the season and presented the Razorbacks with their first test of adversity almost immediately.
They responded in convincing fashion.
Razorbacks Break Through Against Georgia
Arkansas returned to The Jones Center the following week for a two-game series against Georgia on Sept. 17-18.
The Razorbacks took control of Thursday’s opener early and never looked back.
Arkansas held a 1-0 advantage after the first period before exploding for four goals in the second, opening a commanding 5-0 lead. The Razorbacks added two more in the third to secure a 7-2 victory and their first win of the season.
The offensive outburst carried into the following night.
Arkansas and Georgia finished the opening period tied at one, but the Razorbacks took control from there. Arkansas scored twice in the second period and once more in the third while shutting Georgia out over the final 40 minutes.
The result was a 4-1 victory and Arkansas’ first series sweep of the season.
After surrendering 11 goals during the opening weekend, the Razorbacks allowed just three against Georgia while producing 11 of their own.
Arkansas Takes Momentum on the Road
With its record back at .500, Arkansas traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to close September with a two-game road series against the University of Iowa.
Friday night’s opener featured one of Arkansas’ most complete performances of the month.
The Razorbacks struck three times in the opening period to build an immediate advantage. Arkansas added another goal in the second and one more in the third while limiting Iowa to a single goal in a convincing 5-1 victory.
Saturday’s series finale provided a much different challenge.
Instead of another defensive battle, Arkansas and Iowa traded offense throughout a high-scoring contest. The Razorbacks ultimately came away with a 7-6 victory, completing the road sweep and extending their winning streak to four games.
Arkansas left Cedar Rapids having scored 12 goals over the weekend and with a 4-2 record after opening the season with consecutive losses.
September Results
Sept. 10 — Oklahoma State 6, Arkansas 3
Sept. 11 — Oklahoma State 5, Arkansas 2
Sept. 17 — Arkansas 7, Georgia 2
Sept. 18 — Arkansas 4, Georgia 1
Sept. 25 — Arkansas 5, Iowa 1
Sept. 26 — Arkansas 7, Iowa 6
September by the Numbers
Record: 4-2-0
Goals For: 28
Goals Against: 21
Goal Differential: +7
Current Winning Streak: 4 games
Goals Per Game: 4.67
Goals Allowed Per Game: 3.50
Strong Response Defines Opening Month
Arkansas’ September can be divided into two distinctly different stretches.
The Razorbacks opened the season with consecutive losses and were outscored 11-5 by Oklahoma State. Rather than allowing the difficult opening weekend to linger, Arkansas responded by winning every remaining game on its September schedule.
Over its four-game winning streak, Arkansas outscored Georgia and Iowa 23-10.
The Razorbacks also demonstrated an ability to win in different ways. Arkansas controlled Georgia 7-2 with a five-goal advantage through two periods, held both Georgia and Iowa to just one goal in separate victories, and then proved capable of surviving a shootout in the 7-6 win at Iowa.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from September was the response to adversity.
An 0-2 start quickly became a 4-2 record. Back-to-back losses were followed by back-to-back series sweeps. And a team that surrendered 11 goals during its opening weekend allowed only four total over its next three games.
By the time September came to a close, the Razorbacks had transformed a difficult start into a four-game winning streak and established momentum heading into October.
With six games in the books and the opening month behind them, Arkansas now turns its attention to the next stretch of the 2026-27 campaign looking to build on the resilience and consistency that defined its four-game September turnaround.
