FAYETTEVILLE, AR — The University of Arkansas Men’s Ice Hockey Club today announced its 2018-19 schedule for the team’s 12th season in the American Collegiate Hockey Association and third at Division I. The schedule features a fan-friendly home slate of 17 weekend games at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

The Razorbacks are looking forward to this year’s campaign and look to improve on last seasons’ third Western Collegiate Hockey League campaign.  This year, the schedule features a 36 game regular season starting in late September.

SEPTEMBER – OPENING ON THE ROAD

The season begins much later this year.  Whereas last year game play began early in September — on the road on September 8 — the team will have comparatively more time to prepare than any other prior season.

But like last season, the Razorbacks will open up on the road.   The first puck drop of the season will be in Edmond, OK, as the Hogs face off against Central Oklahoma on September 27. Then, the Hogs will make the short drive to take on Oklahoma on September 28 & 29.  Last season, the team dropped all three games to league-rival UCO and lost the series to Oklahoma by a two games to one margin.

OCTOBER – A BRIEF STOP AT HOME

After opening on the road, the Razorbacks will return home to the Jones Center on Thursday, October 4, to face off against the Arizona State Sun Devils.  Their traveling partner, Arizona, will take the ice at the Jones Center on October 5 & 6.

After their meetings with the Sun Devils and the Wildcats, the Razorbacks will make a historic first by traveling to Philadelphia for a four-game swing. The trip east will feature games against all first-time opponents:  Temple, Villanova, Drexel, and West Chester.

To wrap up the month of October, the Hogs will stop in Pelham, AL, to renew acquaintances with rival Alabama. That series will mark the continuation of a rivalry that began back in 2007 when Arkansas first fielded a team.  The Arkansas-Alabama rivalry is the program’s oldest and the Hogs currently lead the Division I phase of the rivalry with a 5-1-1 overall record.

NOVEMBER – A RETURN HOME

In November, the Razorbacks have a mix of travel and home contests.  First up are a trio of WCHL rivalry games against Colorado State and Colorado on November 1-3.  Although Arkansas swept CSU on home ice last season, it is still hunting for its first win against the Buffalo on home ice.

Arkansas then heads west to Arizona to face league opponents Arizona and Arizona State.  The three game swing will mark the third time Arkansas has ventured into Arizona.

The highlight of November will likely be the two-game series against on Missouri State beginning on November 30. The Razorbacks notched an overtime win over the Ice Bears in game one of last year’s end of semester series.  The Ice Bears notched game two of that series in a shootout affair that saw multiple lead changes. Historically, the Missouri State series are hard-fought games energized by a large (and passionate) home crowd.  Missouri State earned a trip to Nationals last season — a program-best — so the Hogs expect another exhilarating match-up in November.

JANUARY – BACK TO WORK

After a brief holiday break, the Razorbacks will get back on the road to face Colorado State and University of Colorado–this time in their territory.  Then, January 25 & 26 will feature home games against arch-rival Alabama.  Two years ago, Arkansas defeated Alabama on home ice in an overtime shootout and then, last season, the Razorbacks swept the Frozen Tide in a pair of close contests.

FEBRUARY – THE FINAL PUSH FOR NATIONALS

February will be an exciting month for the Hogs, as they fight to qualify for the National Tournament for the first time.  First, they play host to league-rivals UCO and Oklahoma.  Next up will be a return visit from McKendree University’s Division II squad.  To close the month, Arkansas then travels the short ride to Springfield, MO, to take on Missouri State in a pair of games that no doubt will have considerable rankings implications.

MARCH – NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

The season closes on March 1 & 2 against Lindenwood before the ranking period ends.  Should the Razorbacks qualify for the National Tournament, hosted by the NHL’s Dallas Stars, they will make the short trip to Dallas, TX, from March 21-25.  The Hogs look to make their first ever tournament appearance this year.

Single game tickets for the 2018-19 regular season can be purchased on game day at the Jones Center.  Season passes will also be available.  Information about season passes will be released in August.  Please visit arhockey.westernchl.com for further information about the team.

VIEW THE 2018-19 SCHEDULE HERE

The Razorback Hockey team is pleased to announce that D-Dakota Gottlieb has committed to Arkansas. The 6’2” 190 lbs. left-shooting defenseman recently completed his junior league career playing for the Hampton Roads Whalers in the USPHL-Premier.

Gottlieb, a native of Scottsdale, Arizona, joins the Razorbacks after a successful junior career that spanned two teams across two years.  In an injury-shortened season with Hampton Roads last year, Gottlieb appeared in 25 games and contributed 8 total points (1 goal and 7 assists). Gottlieb also played his 2016-17 season with the New Jersey Hitmen of the USPHL-Elite where he dressed in 33 games, contributing 12 points (2 goals and 10 assists).

Gottlieb, who plans to study accounting, commented, “hockey is one of the most important things to me, I love playing, and I love winning. I want to win here with the great group of guys that are in the locker room.” Regarding his commitment to the University of Arkansas more specifically, Gottlieb said, “I came to the University of Arkansas for the education, and wanted to be a part of the program as it progresses forward. The Walton School of Business is outstanding and Fayetteville is a great town full of a mix of all types of people from all over the country.”

The University of Arkansas fields two hockey teams.  The Division I team has, since 2015, competed in the Western Collegiate Hockey Conference (learn more here).   The Division III team will in 2018-19 begin its twelfth season competing in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference (learn more here).  All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

The Razorback Hockey team is pleased to announce that D-Kevin LaPlante has committed to Arkansas. The 5’9” 180 lbs. left-shooting defenseman recently completed his junior league career playing for the Point Mallard Ducks in the NA3HL.

LaPlante, a St. Louis, MO native, joins the Razorbacks after a successful season and playoff run with the Ducks.  In his second season in Point Mallard, 2017-18, LaPlante contributed 36 total points (14 goals and 22 assists) in 45 games. LaPlante also logged the 16-17 season with the Ducks where he appeared in 46 games.

LaPlante, who plans to study sports management, commented, “I love hockey and it means everything to me. When I’m on the ice nothing else matters. The adrenaline you get is incredible–you feel invincible.” Regarding his commitment to the University of Arkansas more specifically, LaPlante said, “I feel the University of Arkansas’ hockey program is very promising and I will get the best experience out of playing with this program.  I was also drawn to the academic program the University of Arkansas offers and believe it will give me a great opportunity.”

The University of Arkansas fields two hockey teams.  The Division I team has, since 2015, competed in the Western Collegiate Hockey Conference (learn more here).   The Division III team will in 2018-19 begin its twelfth season competing in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference (learn more here).  All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Ice Hockey program is excited to announce several changes for the upcoming 2018-19 season.  First, both teams will make a structural move from University Recreation to Student Affairs.

Historically, the program existed as a “Club Sport” through University Recreation.  Clubs are regulated by university policy but are also self-administered, meaning club members traditionally manage the team.  While this model worked for many years, over time, the men’s hockey program grew into two teams, 60 players, 8 coaches, an athletic trainer, two graduate assistants, and a 5-person student board.  This growth demonstrates the strength of the program, but also created challenges under the traditional club sport structure.

Accordingly, after eleven successful years with UREC, the program is excited to move across campus to the Division of Student Affairs, led by Vice Chancellor Charles Robinson.  Razorback Hockey will become the first member of “Club Sports Advance,” which is housed under Student Affairs.  Doing so will shift team management, external relations, budgeting, and resources to the Student Affairs office.  The team is extremely grateful to the staff at UREC who not only supported the team for eleven years but also made this next step possible.

The move to Club Sports Advance also creates the opportunity to expand the team’s leadership.  To facilitate that growth, Division I Head Coach Brian Gallini will step down from his longtime role as head coach and transition into a new program-wide oversight position.  In that new role, Coach Gallini will advise the Division I & III coaching staffs, assist the program through its transition to Student Affairs, mentor student-athletes, and provide overall stability and continuity to the program.

In his nine years with the program, Coach Gallini’s teams (both at Division I and III) won five SECHC Championships and five top ten South/Pacific Region finishes, took three trips to Division III Nationals, achieved the highest finish for any team in ACHA history in its first DI season after moving from DIII, and amassed an overall 186-92-8 record.  Coach Gallini has served the program for nearly a decade while simultaneously serving as Associate Dean and Professor of Law at the School of Law.  In 2017, he was named SEC faculty of the year for the University of Arkansas campus.

Said Coach Gallini, “It’s hard to capture in a few words just how big our program has become since 2007.  I want to thank my players and fellow coaches for believing in our brand of hockey these past several seasons.  Our program is indebted to the College of Education and Health Professions and University Recreation for their support and leadership of Razorback Hockey.  We are also thankful to Chancellor Steinmetz and Dr. Robinson for believing in our vision for the growth and success of the hockey program here at the University of Arkansas.”

The program is excited about the future of Razorback Hockey.  A search for a new Division I Head Coach will begin immediately.

The Division III Razorbacks recently returned from the ACHA National Tournament and wrapped up an impressive 17-18 season, finishing ranked 8th in the country.

In Columbus, the Ice Hogs tied two games and won their final heat, but failed to progress out of pool play.  In their first match, they faced Florida Gulf Coast University in what turned out to be a tie game (1-1).  Their second game against Fairfield ended in a similar manner but was a higher scoring game (6-6).  To round out pool play, the DIII Hogs met Hope College and notched a 5-2 victory.

They left the tournament with a 1-0-2 record but due to ACHA rules did not advance to the next round.  Hope College moved on and proceeded to win the Championship.  Senior Captain Andrew DeNome said, “The season was a huge success, we achieved all of our goals as a team, we really came together as a unit despite the adversity we faced. Although we came up short in the National Tournament, our younger guys and younger leaders will be prepared for next year.”

All in all, the DIII Razorbacks had an incredibly successful season with a 25-6-2 overall record.  Additionally, the Team reclaimed both the SECHC Championship and Pacific Region Championship titles.  DIII’s success would not have been possible without the overwhelming support from fans, friends, and families, University Recreation, Student Affairs, and the Coaching Staff.

Said Senior Captain Matt Tallo, “This season has been the best season of hockey I have ever been a part of. From top to bottom, everyone put in their best effort and we were very successful. We cannot thank everyone enough for their support throughout the season. I would also like to thank my teammate, coaches, and family for these memories that will last a lifetime.”

On behalf of the Coaching Staff, Coach Keller Sims said, “We are very proud of everything these guys accomplished this season. We started with the goal of bringing the SEC trophy back to Fayetteville, and we were able to accomplish that goal and so much more. This group came together early and responded to adversity all season, especially at Nationals by going undefeated and beating the eventual National Champions. The character of the guys in that locker room is second to none. You couldn’t ask for a better group to represent our program and show everyone what Arkansas Hockey is all about.”

This weekend, the Division III Razorback Hockey team heads to Columbus, Ohio, to participate in the ACHA National Championship Tournament.  Two weeks ago, the DIII Ice Hogs swept the Pacific Regional Tournament, defeating the Kansas Jayhawks and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneers.

The Team will make the long trip to Columbus this Sunday, March 11th.  They will practice at the Chiller North Rink (8144 Highfield Dr., Lewis Center, Ohio 43035) at 1:00 pm on Monday, March 12th.

The National Tournament features a pool-play format, with the University of Arkansas included in Pool D.  Their first game will be on Tuesday, March 13^th versus Florida Gulf Coast University at 8:30 pm.  On Wednesday, the DIII Razorbacks will face Fairfield University at 2:30 pm.  Then, on Thursday, they will play Hope College at 2:00 pm.

The winner of Pool D will then play the winner of Pool A on Friday, March 16th at 4:00 pm. The Championship game will be the following day, March 17th, at 8:00 pm.

Arkansas enters the contest riding an eleven game winning streak and playing some of their best hockey, having recently swept both the Pacific Regional Tournament and the SECHC Conference Playoffs.

All of the games will be broadcast through the ACHA National Championships YouTube page, which can be found here.  For ticket prices and more information, check out the ACHA National Championships website.

 

This weekend, the Division III Razorback Hockey team (#5 Pacific Region, 22-6-0 overall) heads to Lincoln, Nebraska, to participate in the Pacific Regional Tournament. The win or go home format, which we explain in more detail here, features a rematch between the Hogs and #8 Kansas Jayhawks (20-6-1 overall) on Friday at 4:00 PM CST at the Breslow Ice Center (433 V St. Lincoln, NE 68508).  In order to advance to the Division III National Tournament, Arkansas must defeat Kansas and then win again on Saturday.

Arkansas and Kansas have met five times this season, including one game to open the season in the Pacific Region Showcase. Although Kansas holds a 3-2 series edge, the Hogs have outscored Kansas 19-17 in their five total meetings.  The two teams met most recently last November when the Hogs took game one by a 5-1 score but dropped the second game of the weekend series by a 4-3 margin.  That loss, back on November 18, marks the last time the Division III Hogs lost a game.

Arkansas enters the contest riding a nine game winning streak and playing some of their best hockey, having recently swept the SECHC Conference Playoffs by defeating Vanderbilt, Kentucky (Division II), and Florida.  The Hogs outscored their SECHC foes by a cumulative total of 15-4.

The Razorbacks will be one of the eight teams competing in the regional this weekend for two available spots to go to the Division III National Tournament. The other teams competing in the Pacific Regional are: the University of Nebraska, the Colorado School of Mines, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, the University of Northern Arizona, Colorado Mesa University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  Should the Hogs defeat the Jayhawks, Arkansas would play again on Saturday the 24^th at either 2:00 PM or 5:00 PM.

Live streaming links for the Arkansas game(s) will be posted on all of the program’s social media pages closer to face-off times.

This weekend, the Division I Ice Hogs will take on the #3 ranked Lindenwood Lions in their final two games of the season. The Hogs will play Lindenwood on Friday, February 16^th at 7:30 PM and Saturday, February 17^th at 4:30 PM at the Jones Center in Springdale. The Hogs enter the weekend having dropped a competitive 2-1 contest to Illinois State on Senior night last Saturday.  Meanwhile, Lindenwood comes in having split a pair of games on the road against Robert Morris University (Ill.). The Hogs are 0-2 all time against Lindenwood.

On Friday before the game, join us as we honor our Division III team, which won the SECHC Conference Playoff tournament last weekend.  Both games will be broadcast on YouTube thanks to our friends over at Drop the Gloves Radio. Be on the lookout for a link on the team’s Facebook page closer to game time.

FANS: After the game come out to Black Apple Crossing (321 E Emma Ave, Springdale, AR 72764) from 8-9 and meet the Hogs. Black Apple is just right down the road from the Jones Center. Black Apple is an all ages venue, so fans of all ages are welcome. Come celebrate the end of another Division I season!

The Division III Razorbacks are prepping for Regionals after bringing home the SECHC Championship in Nashville this past weekend. While there, the Ice Hogs faced Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Florida.

For their first game of the tournament, the Razorbacks met Vanderbilt on Friday night. According to Coach McDowell, the Hogs “had a slow start to the game against Vanderbilt. We have a young team and we were probably looking ahead to our second round matchup against Kentucky.”

Vandy took a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period. But, led by the captains, the team rallied and scored two goals in the second (from Grand Deacon and Captain Andrew DeNome), outshooting Vandy 19-3. Then, in the third period, Vandy made a strong push and Arkansas had to kill off 4 penalties in the final frame. The third period was led by their goaltender Dalton Baker who played very strong. Late in the period, Drew Hill buried a breakaway to tally an insurance marker for the Hogs who went on to win 3-1.

The Team then met Kentucky in the semi-finals on Saturday, February 10^th.  Coach McDowell says the Razorbacks “knew they were in for a fight with their 2nd round opponent Kentucky, who was 20-7 at the Division 2 level this season.” But the Hogs did not back down. They “came out swinging” and put up three goals in the first frame. They played stout defense led by Freshman Tyler Valdron (who also scored), Alex Kueser (who also had a goal) and Freshman Goalie Jozef Dusenka.

The Wildcats made it a game by scoring early in the second period on the power play. But Matt Lasky was able to bring the lead back up to 3 again late in the 2nd period with his first of two goals in the game.

In the third period, Arkansas did not let Kentucky back into the game. They finished strong with 3 goals from Senior Trey Lowry, Freshman Grant Deacon, and Junior Matt Lasky. The Hogs made it on to the finals to face-off against the Florida Gators.

On Sunday, February 11^th, the Hogs finally made it to the Championship game, allowing them to reach one of their major goals on the season. They had to face long time SEC Finals Rival, the Florida Gators. Arkansas battled hard and had to deal with a 2 minute 5-3 penalty kill in the first period.

Shortly after their strong penalty kill, the Hogs lit the lamp for the first time in the game. Evan Kerr was able to bury a great pass from long-time lineman Trey Lowry to put the Hogs up 1-0. The Hogs would later add a second goal from the stick of Drew Hill. After 20 minutes, the Hogs were up 2-0.

Less than a minute into the second period, Florida scored their first goal. However, Evan Kerr buried his second goal of the night and was able to put the Hogs back up on top 3-1. After a back in forth period that included of a disallowed goal on the shoulders of Alex Kueser the Hogs kept fighting. Less than a minute remaining in the period, Alex Kueser made an incredible play—dangling the Florida defender by putting the puck between his legs—and ripping a shot to the top left corner to extend the lead to 4-1.

In the final frame, the Hogs battled through 3 penalties including a five-minute major by Jacob Yaseen. The PK shut the door and didn’t allow Florida to cash in on any opportunities. Later that period, Matt Lasky scored his 3rd goal of the tournament to help Arkansas win the SECHC Championship game 5-1 over Florida.

This is the Division III Team’s 6th SECHC Championship in the last 9 seasons, and 1st since the 2014-2015 season.

Additionally, during the 2017-18 SECHC Awards Ceremony, the Razorbacks took home four awards: Third Team All-SEC Alex Kueser and Sky Chambers; Second Team All-SEC Trey Lowry; and First Team All-SEC Jozef Dusenka.

The Hogs are awaiting the Regional Ranking to see who they will face in the first round of the Pacific Regional Tournament on February 23-24th.

 

 

Razorback Hockey is looking forward to an exciting weekend as Division I takes on Illinois State in Springdale and Division III competes for the SEC Championship.

The DIII Hogs, five-time SEC Playoff Champions, are looking to reclaim the title at the SECHC Playoffs in Nashville, TN.  On Friday, the Ice Hogs (#2) will meet Vanderbilt Hockey (#7) at 8:00 pm CT.  The winner of the opener will move on to the Semi-Final, scheduled for February 10 at 5:00 pm CT.  The Championship Game will be on Sunday at 2:30 pm.  To keep up with the Razorbacks as they battle it out in Tennessee, follow @SECHChockey and @PenaltyBoxRadio on Twitter.

DIII Head Coach Justin McDowell is very optimistic about the Team’s likelihood of success.  He said, “we are very excited about this tournament. It has been our season goal all year long. Now that we are here, we are just going to take it one game at a time.”

Division I will be at home February 9-10 against the Illinois State Redbirds.  The two teams met back in September 2017 in Redbirds’ territory, but the Ice Hogs pulled out two exciting wins.   They will meet again, this time at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale, on Friday, February 9 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, February 10 at 4:30 pm.

Saturday’s game will be Senior Day to honor our five outstanding Division I seniors: Jacob Brown (#9); Jesse Foskey (#28); James Haddock (#25); Landyn Howze (#12); and Matt Robinson (#77).  Come out and help us thank them!