The Arkansas Hockey program has qualified for the 2022-23 National Tournament in Boston, securing the #6 national seed after finishing the regular season with a record of 24-4. This marks the fourth trip to the national tournament in a row for the hogs, and the eighth time in program history. Arkansas has advanced to the final four of the tournament in back to back seasons. Arkansas would fall to Hope College in the championship game in 2021 and in the semifinals in 2022.

In pool play, Arkansas faces off with three programs who are also no strangers to the National Tournament. Pool B will consist of #3 University of Michigan, #6 University of Arkansas, #11 Florida Gulf Coast University, and #14 Oakland University. Both Michigan and FGCU have also qualified for the last four national tournaments. Though they do not boast the same streak, Oakland is consistently a top 20 ACHA team and last qualified for the big dance in COVID-19 cancelled 2020 tournament, where they were set to meet Arkansas in pool play in the cancelled tournament.

Sixteen teams qualify for the ACHA National Tournament, where teams are split into four pools of four. Every team in each pool plays each other, with the winner of each pool advancing to the semifinals, at which point the tournament moves to single elimination format.

Schedule:
3/16: 1:15 PM(cst) vs #11 FGCU
3/17: 1:15 PM(cst) vs #14 Oakland University
3/18: 7:15 PM(cst) vs #3 Michigan University
3/20: 1:15 PM(cst) National Semifinal*
3/21: 1:15 PM(cst) National Championship*
*If advance

All games will be streamed via Hockey TV, the official steaming partner of the ACHA. Tickets are available online and at the door via day or weekend passes. Live updates will be posted throughout the tournament via our social media pages.

As a club sport, all expenses are covered by player dues, team fundraising, and public donations. This includes the cost of plane travel to Boston, as well as ground transport, meals, and hotels during the weeklong stay. If you wish to contribute to help our players fund this trip to Nationals, and the continued growth and success of our program, feel free to donate here. As always, we have the best fans and support in the country, and would not be able to reach the levels of success without the support of our community and University.

The Hogs entered this past weekend looking to defend their 2022 MACHA Championship. Arkansas would draw host Maryville University in the first round, with teams reseeded based on results for the remainder of the weekend.

Arkansas would get off to a hot start, and never let off the gas, scoring two goals in each period to take the game comfortably 6-0. After a first round of upsets, Arkansas would enter the day has the highest remaining seed. They would draw division rival Mizzou, with the winner advancing to face Nebraska in the Championship game.

Arkansas would score less than 30 seconds into the game and controlled much of the pace of play through the first two periods. After entering the third period with a 2-1 lead, Mizzou regained momentum and tallied three unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead. Arkansas didn’t throw in the towel, responding half way through the frame to make it a 4-3 game. Ultimately they were unable to beat the Missouri net-minder and the game would finish with Mizzou ahead at the final buzzer.

Mizzou would go on to beat Nebraska on Sunday to claim their first MACHA Championship, again coming from behind in the 3rd period to secure the victory.

After a bye week, your Razorbacks have two consecutive weeks of home exhibition games against Drury University (DII) and #9 Purdue while awaiting their news on qualification for the National Tournament.

This past weekend your Arkansas Hockey Club swept bitter rival Missouri State at home in front of record crowds at the Jones Center. The victories gave the Hogs a 3-1 record against the Bears this season. As winners of the season series, Arkansas claimed the Battle of the Ozarks trophy for the second consecutive season. The series was also the first meetings between the two teams with both ranked in the top 5. Missouri State entered the weekend ranked #2, while Arkansas entered at #4.

Friday saw the Hogs blank the Bears on the back of another stellar performance by junior netminder Sam Haynes, who recorded his ACHA leading 7th shutout of the season. Arkansas would survive a slow start early and heavy pressure from the visiting team. Senior Griffin Sugasawara opened the scoring 5:21 into the first period. On the goal, Sugasawara would claim the record for most goals scored in Arkansas Hockey history, passing Forrest Mudgett with 109 goals in his career. Seniors Zach Wilson and Trevor McLain would add to the lead and put the game away in the third following a back and forth second period.

Saturday would begin with the Hogs honoring nine seniors: Michael Ellis, Brad Estrada, Jake Sharrer, Cameron McAtee, Trevor McLain, Dylan Odelein, Jake Sharrer, Griffin Sugasawara, and Zach Wilson. The seniors would go on to have a heavy impact in the 5-3 Arkansas victory. Griffin Sugasawara and Trevor McLain would find the back of the net first, followed by a hat trick by Cameron McAtee, who continues to grow his ACHA leading point total. Zach Wilson would also record four assists on the night.

The weekend also saw the program break records off the ice. A program record crowd over 700 attended Friday nights military appreciation game. The next day, a record Saturday crowd north of 600 was in attendance to see off the Arkansas seniors and watch the team hoist their first trophy ahead of post season play.

Arkansas is off this upcoming weekend. They will return to the ice in St. Louis where they will look to defend their MACHA Championship crown. They will face host team Maryville University in their first matchup at 11:00 AM Friday February 10th.

_{Photos courtesy of Dr. Rhett Hutchins at Baumology.}

This past weekend the Arkansas Razorbacks started the spring semester on the road in Oxford, OH to participate in the Miami(OH) Showcase. The 3-game weekend saw the Razorbacks face off against Indiana University of Pennsylvania, #15 Miami University, and #9 Grand Valley State University.

Friday saw the Hogs battle the IUP Crimson Hawks. Arkansas controlled much of the 1st period, but came away with nothing in a 0-0 period. Junior Trevor Borlace would crack through with a goal 5:14 into the 2nd period, but IUP responded just 24 seconds later. IUP punched another home 9 minutes later to take a 2-1 lead, but freshman Ethan Rogers would even the game with 53 seconds remaining in the period. IUP regained a one-goal lead soon after to take a 3-2 lead into the 3 rd period. But the Hogs would dominate the final frame with a goal from junior Kyle Crews and 2 goals from graduate student Cameron McAtee to give Arkansas the 5-3 win. Grady Reis notched his 4th win of the season, stopping 25 of 28 shots.

Saturday brought on a battle against the host Miami(OH). With the last two matchups between the two teams being decided in overtime, this game shaped up to be another thriller. Miami would open the scoring midway through the 1st period. But senior Dylan Odelein beat the buzzer by finishing off a backdoor pass with just 1 second remaining to tie the game. Arkansas played a strong 2nd period with goals from senior Kyle Patterson and assistant captain Cameron McAtee to jump out to a 3-1 lead. McAtee would score just 1:45 into the 3 rd period to extend the lead to 4-1. But penalty trouble would put the Hogs on their heals and Miami responded with 2 goals of their own to draw the score closer at 4-3. After killing off more penalties and some unbelievable saves from goaltender Sam Haynes down the stretch, the Razorbacks sealed the deal on a 4-3 win. Haynes turned away 20 of 23 shots for his 13th win of the season.

The Sunday slate featured a top-10 matchup between two teams that reached last year’s frozen four. Grand Valley State University and Arkansas faced off in an early morning bout, with GVSU opening the scoring with 2 goals in the 1st period. The Hogs would not go away, tying the score with a goal each from senior Trevor McLain and junior Kyle Crews. GVSU broke the tie early in the 3rd period, taking a 3-2 lead. After a valiant effort to tie the game, the Hogs surrendered a goal with just 1:29 remaining and an empty-net goal as time expired, giving GVSU the 5-2 win. Sam Haynes stopped 26 of 30 shots, recording just his 1st loss of the season.

Arkansas looks to bounce back against rival Missouri State Ice Bears with a two-game home set at The Jones Center on January 27th and 28th. Friday will be Military Appreciation Night as the Hogs will sport American flag-inspired sweaters. Saturday will be a day to honor the seniors as we celebrate Senior Night.

After a 17-2 start to the season, the Hogs begin the spring semester ranked number four in the country. Arkansas entered the break at number three but dropped a spot after being off last weekend. The computer rankings are determined by weighing a combination of win/loss, goal differential, and strength of schedule. Several opponents and division rivals also found themselves in the Top 25 as rival Missouri State checks in at #2, Missouri moves up to #11, Nebraska drops to #14, and UNT remains at #25.

This weekend the Hogs will travel to Oxford, Ohio to take part in Miami of Ohio’s annual showcase event. There the Hogs will square off against Indiana University at Pennsylvania on Friday, #15 Miami (OH) Saturday, and #9 Grand Valley State University to finish the weekend on Sunday Morning. The weekend gives Arkansas a great opportunity to continue where they left off in the fall semester while competing against some of the top competition in the country. Arkansas and Miami required overtime in their lone meeting this season, with the Razorbacks claiming a 4-3 victory. Arkansas and Miami met twice last season, with the Hogs winning 5-1 during the regular season, and a 3-2 OT victory in the National Tournament. Arkansas and GVSU have not squared off since the 2019-20 season where Arkansas swept both games on the road at GVSU. Both teams lost in the Frozen Four last season.

Next weekend The Razorbacks will host Missouri State on Friday, Jan 27th and Saturday, Jan 28th. Barring any significant changes in the rankings, it could mark the first Top 5 matchup between the two programs. The teams split their series in Springfield earlier this season. The winner of the season series will look to hoist the Battle of the Ozark’s Trophy. Arkansas currently holds the trophy after taking two in regulation from the Ice Bears last season. Arkansas and Missouri state are no strangers to big games, the two teams met in the Frozen Four of the National Tournament in 2021 and in the championship game of the MACHA tournament last season. Arkansas took both games, 6-2 and 5-2.

Miami (OH) Showcase Schedule (all times central):
Friday 1/20: 8:10 PM vs IUP
Saturday 1/21: 2:10 PM vs #15 Miami (OH)
Sunday 1/22: 6:45 AM vs #9 GVSU

Please check our social medias for streaming information released on game days.

The Arkansas Razorbacks finished their semester with a sweep of East Texas Baptist University on December 2nd-3rd. The results leave the team with a 17-2 record in the fall semester and extends their current winning streak to 14. Saturdays game saw their program record 8 game shutout streak snapped, but the hogs would take both games by a combined score of 25-2. After struggling early in the season, splitting with rivals Missouri State and Mizzou, the Hogs would go on a roll sweeping, Nebraska, UNT, DBU, ETBU, and Kansas, in addition to taking all 3 games at this years Route 66 Showcase in Springfield, MO.

The Hogs winning ways can be attributed to their excellent defensive play. In all, Arkansas has allowed only 30 goals in 19 contests. The Arkansas netminders have stepped up big for the team when they need them this season. Junior goaltender Sam Haynes currently leads the country in shutouts with 6 and he boasts a 11-0 record, with a 1.09 GAA, and a .947 save percentage. Sophomores Grady Reis and Noah Goodwin both boast 3 wins a piece and contributed to keeping the hogs shutout streak alive with big saves between the pipes.

On the other end of the ice, the Razorbacks lead the country in scoring with 145 goals for. Their goal differential of +115 leads all teams by a wide margin, with current #1 and defending National Champion Hope trailing with a +77 goal differential. Overall the team boasts 6 players with double digit goals and 7 players averaging over a point per game on the season. Senior defenseman Cameron McAtee leads the team and the country with 28 goals and 55 points. Senior Zach Wilson leads the country in assists with 28. Freshman defenseman Ethan Rogers leads all newcomers with 12 points on 2 goals and 10 assists.

The Hogs will break for the holidays prior to returning for winter training camp in early January. The first games of the spring semester will put the team up against some of the top teams in the country when they travel to Miami (OH) for three showcase games. Check back for our spring semester preview as we get set to resume play in January 2023!

This past weekend the Arkansas Razorbacks traveled to Dallas for MACHA South division games against Dallas Baptist University and The University of North Texas. The Razorbacks entered the weekend on a nine game winning streak, and a four game shutout streak, the longest in program history. Arkansas had previously swept DBU at home, and defeated UNT in their lone meeting earlier this season.

Friday would bring more of the same as the Hogs controlled the pace of play and dominated DBU at both ends of the ice, out shooting the opposition 52-12. Senior Captain Zach Wilson would get the scoring started, followed by freshman Thomas Verble and senior Michael Ellis to finish out the first frame. Seniors Trevor Mclain and Jake Sharrer, and junior Kyle Crews would finish off the scoring in the second. The teams would finish with a scoreless third period to give Junior net-minder Same Haynes his fourth shutout on the season, and third in a row overall.

Saturday the two teams were back at again, and Arkansas would again end the first period with a lead on goals from Senior defensemen Dylan Odelein and Cameron McAtee. Senior Brad Estrada would open the scoring in the second with his first goal of the season, followed by sophomore Jason Gifford on the powerplay, and Zach Wilson shorthanded. Kyle Crews, Michael Ellis, and Senior Griffin Sugasawara would all score in the third frame to give the Hogs an 8-0 victory. Freshman goaltender Noah Goodwin would earn his second victory and shutout in as many starts, giving him 0 goals allowed in two starts. Senior Assistant Captain, and leading scorer, Cameron McAtee notched his 200th career collegiate point when he assisted on Sugaswara’s goal late in the third period!

Sunday the Hogs would finish off their road trip with a dominating performance against UNT. The hogs scored early and often with goals from Matthew Edestrand, Kyle Patterson, Zach Wilson (2), Thomas Verble (2), Jake Sharrer (2), Ian Lotz, and Griffin Sugasawara. Sam Haynes would come up big on a several odd man rushes throughout to preserve the shutout and the streak.

The Hogs are currently on a twelve game win streak and a seven game shutout streak, which continues the program record. Overall Arkansas has not been scored on in 423 minutes and 36 seconds of game play, dating back to the third period of their opener against Miami(OH) in the Route 66 Showcase. All three of the teams goalies (Noah Goodwin, Sam Haynes, and Grady Reis) have contributed to the streak. Arkansas has outscored their opponents by a score of 63-0 since allowing their last goal. During their current 12 game winning streak they have outscored opponents 82-8.

Arkansas is off until December 2nd and 3rd, when they will host East Texas Baptist University at home in the Jones Center. Arkansas swept ETBU in two games last season by a combined score of 32-0. The home set will be your last chance to catch the Razorbacks at home until the spring semester, so come out and help support your Hogs as they look to finish the semester off with another sweep!

This past weekend, the Razorbacks traveled back to Springfield, MO for the annual Route 66 Showcase. The Razorbacks entered as two time defending champions, and were looking to go for three straight against tough competition from the north.

The Hogs began the weekend with a matchup against the Miami (OH) RedHawks. Arkansas took both meetings agains Miami last season, one at the Route 66 and one in pool play of the National Tournament. Both teams came ready to play seeing the Razorbacks take the lead, only to have the RedHawks answer each time. Both teams found themselves tied at the end of regulation. Senior captain Zach Wilson buried a beautiful shot on a one on one to win it for the Razorbacks in Overtime.

Game two featured the Hogs and a Ferris State Bulldogs team looking to turn things around following their Friday night loss to Missouri State. The Razorbacks took care of business against the Bulldogs and Sophomore goalie Grady Reis earned his first shutout of the season with a commanding 7-0 victory that featured Senior forward Griffin Sugasawara’s 100th career ACHA goal, and 200th career ACHA point all in the same play.

Sunday mornings’ matchup against the Davenport Panthers saw similar results as the Hogs once again played with a full team effort which led to another 7-0 shutout victory, this time, for Junior goaltender Sammy Haynes. This marked the fourth time in program history Arkansas would record back to back shutouts.

Despite a successful 3-0 weekend, the Hogs fell short of the Route 66 championship as game one against Miami (OH) was won in OT. Missouri State would claim the crown, winning all three games in regulation. The Razorbacks have seemingly found a new rhythm in their game and look to capitalize on it moving forward this season. The Hogs win streak grows to seven and the team improves to 10-2-0 on the season following this weekend. In all 8 seniors played their final games at Jordan Valley Ice Park, a home away from home for the Razorbacks with the Hogs playing and average of 5 games a season in Springfield.

The next home weekend for your Arkansas Razorbacks is against the University of Kansas Jayhawks on Friday, 10/28 at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, 10/29 at 3:15 pm. Friday will also feature the annual Pink the Rink game where fans are encouraged to support the Razorbacks while wearing pink to fight cancer.

After a month of practice and preparation, the Razorbacks opened the 2022-23 season on the road with a rivalry series against Missouri State. It would mark the first two games of the four game home-home season series between the two rivals, with the winner of the season series taking home the Battle of the Ozarks Trophy. After a rusty start to game one, the Hogs went back and forth with the Ice Bears for a combined 7 goals in the third period. The Hogs would ultimately drop game one of their MACHA division schedule, 6-5, and look to come out hard for game two of the Battle of the Ozarks.
Game two of the weekend featured a Razorback team looking to learn from their mistakes, and they did just that, scoring 2 goals in the first two minutes of the game. Junior goalie, Sam Haynes, shut down Missouri State as he stopped 23 of 25 shots. The Razorbacks dominated game two, defeating Missouri State 9-2. Sophomore forward Jason Gifford earned player of the game honors as he notched his first career ACHA goal.
The Razorbacks would have a week off following the road trip to Missouri State as they prepared for their home opener series against Dallas Baptist.
The Razorbacks’ home opener was highlighted with a ceremonial puck drop honoring Chip Excell, a longtime ACHA and professional official who lost his leg last May in a motorcycle accident. A sluggish 1st period saw the Razorbacks trailing DBU 3-1. The Hogs regrouped during the 1st intermission and came out in the 2nd period with 5 unanswered goals. The Hogs would ultimately continue their domination with 3 more goals as they put DBU to bed, 9-4, winning their first MACHA game of the season. Junior goalie Sam Haynes earned player of the game honors.
Game two against DBU saw much of the same result we experienced in game one, as sophomore goalie Grady Reis, and the Hogs cruised past DBU, 8-4 thanks to four goals by senior defenseman Cameron McAtee. This series saw breakthrough performances from the rookies when freshmen forwards Connor Chapman and Matthew Edestrand, scored their first collegiate goals during game one, and freshman defenseman Ethan Rogers earned player of the game honors in game two.
The Hogs moved to 18-0 all time against the Patriots. Arkansas will travel to in November to complete the season series between the two clubs. After the first two weekends of the season, the Razorbacks are 3-1 (1-1 in MACHA play). Per MACHA rules, when opponents play more than two games per season, the Friday contest will count toward division standings. The Hogs look to continue their early success this season as they gear up for another home-stand against another MACHA division opponent, the University of Missouri, as senior forward Griffin Sugasawara looks to notch his 100th career ACHA goal.

You can catch the Hogs live this Friday, 10/7 at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, 10/8 at 3:15 pm at the
Jones Center in Springdale, or live on YouTube.