Photo credit:  Richard Hovey

#15 University of Arizona (5-4) @ University of Arkansas (3-14-1)

Puck Drop: Friday, October 28th at 7:30pm
Location: The Jones Center Springdale, AR
Broadcast: mixlr.com/hoghockey
Author credit: http://droptheglovesproductions.com/

The Division I Arkansas Razorbacks will play a two game set against the Arizona Wildcats following their Thursday night loss to the Arizona State Sun Devils, 5-2. Arizona comes into the game off of a win against Missouri State in Springfield, taking down the Bears 5-3, and improving to a winning record.

Arkansas will not be an easy out tomorrow night, and should have the Jones Center rocking as they don pink in support of breast cancer awareness for their annual Pink the Rink night.

Coach Gallini will have a lot of preparing to do in a short amount of time to get ready for the Wildcats.

Three Things to Watch

1. Hogs Top-Line Production

The Razorbacks have clung to the goal-scoring prowess of their top scorers all year.Tomorrow, the duo of Matt Robinson and Luc Gradisar will have to produce yet again to keep the young Hogs in the game early, and hopefully set up for the win late. Arkansas’ top duo accounts for 35% of their total goals scored this year, and will need to score this weekend to ensure victory.

2. Arizona’s Special Teams

The Wildcats are not strong in either area on special teams, scoring on less than 10% of their power plays and being an average team when shorthanded. Their success could hinge on being disciplined, and forcing the young Razorbacks into mistakes. Arizona has three players above 15 penalty minutes through just eight games, so staying out of the box and not letting the potent Arkansas power play go to work will be critical in stealing a win on the road.

3. Time to Step Up

No question Arkansas is still trying to get their legs under them this far into the season. However, the team has not seen a whole lot of consistent production from all of their players on a given night. Every player has shown their talent, and it’s time for them to gel in order to snap the losing streak and get back in the win column. Coach Gallini will be looking to players such as Tobias Sjolund and Alec Morris to step up and show their talent.

Final Analysis

This is a winnable series for the Hogs. Despite the close losses in the past couple of weeks, the Razorbacks really do a whole lot of things correctly. Coach Gallini has given the players the keys to success, but they haven’t quite put together a full 60 minutes in some time, making crucial mistakes in key moments and losing tight games. However, fortunes can change at any time, and catching the Wildcats at the end of a road trip might be the spark they need to get back on the winning track.

#16 Arizona State University (6-1) @ University of Arkansas (3-14)

Puck Drop: Thursday October 27th at 8:30pm
Location: The Jones Center Springdale, AR
Broadcast: mixlr.com/hoghockey
Author credit: http://droptheglovesproductions.com/

On Thursday night, the Arkansas Razorbacks Division 1 hockey team welcomes WCHL foe Arizona State to town for their first ever matchup with the Sun Devils. Coming off losing their last two at home against Illinois State, the Hogs are hoping to get back on track against the #16 team in the ACHA.

ASU returns to the WCHL this season after taking a year off while their NCAA D1 program got under way. The Sun Devils are picking up right where they left off, starting the season 6-1 (2-1, WCHL) while climbing in the ACHA rankings each week. The team that won the ACHA Division 1 National Championship in 2013-2014, and back to back WCHL regular season championships in the two years before their hiatus is once again looking like a contender.

The Razorbacks came into the season with moderate expectations from the WCHL, picked to finish 7th in the league, and have struggled to find their footing. After winning their first 2 games, the Hogs lost 14 out of 15 games, dropping them out of the ACHA top 25.  The record doesn’t tell the whole story as the D1 squad has lost nine games by 2 goals or less. With a system heavy program, Coach Gallini hopes his men can turn their season around by winter break.

Three Things to Watch

1. Arkansas’ Goaltending

The Hogs have a trio of goalies that can step in on any given night, all of whom have a GAA near or above 4.00. The Sun Devils are averaging exactly 4 goals per game so it can be expected that they will score 4 goals. Can the Hogs offense keep up? With 60 goals in 17 games, Arkansas is just a shade under 4 goals per game. So, whichever Arkansas goalie gets the nod for this game will be relied on heavily to keep the score close.

2. ASU’s Ostertag(s)

The Sun Devils field a couple of men name Ostertag, Dylan and Ryan. With a combined 19 points on the season, the duo makes up 27.5% of the offense. Add in forward Michael Cummings and you get 42% of all the points on the team. What does this mean for Arkansas? If they can slow the top scorers on the Sun Devils and force the rest of the team to beat them, they can significantly increase their chances of getting the victory.

3. Hogs in the Pen

The Razorbacks penalty kill has been poor this season. At 76.8%, they rank 318th in the ACHA. With 253 penalty minutes on the year (that’s 14 minutes per game!); the Hogs will be in trouble if they continue this trend. Penalties happen, but they will need to eliminate the unnecessary ones, many occurring after the whistle. The good news is the Sun Devils power play hasn’t exactly been spectacular (10.2%), but it would be best to not even give them the chance.

Final Analysis

On paper, Arizona State appears to be the better team. They have the better record and are ranked higher both in the ACHA and the WCHL. If common opponents mean anything, ASU beat OU 3-1 while the Hogs lost 5-4 and 3-1, and Arkansas lost to Central Oklahoma 3-1 while the Sun Devils beat the Bronchos 7-4 before losing the rematch 3-2. Arizona State will be a tough out for the Hogs, but the final result may be closer than most might think. It’s a long trip from Tempe and when the crowd gets going at the Jones Center, it’s a tough place to play. Let’s hope the fans come out in full force this week and rattle the Sun Devils by Calling the Hogs!

On Friday and Saturday, October 21-22, the Division I Razorback Hockey team (3-12-0) welcomes the Illinois State Redbirds (5-5-0) to the Jones Center.  Coming off of a challenging Colorado swing, the Razorbacks look to get back to their winning ways against a talented Redbird hockey team.  While in Colorado last weekend, the Hogs dropped a trio of games–first to Colorado State last Thursday and Friday, and finally to Colorado University on Saturday.

As the Razorbacks challenged foes out West, the Redbirds were up North tangling with Oakland University.  In their first game last Friday, Illinois State came up just short, losing 6-4 (ENG) but rebounded on Saturday to notch a 3-0 win.  Illinois State will make just its second trip to the Jones Center where the programs will play their seventh and eighth respective games against one another.

Entering the series, the Hogs are 3-3 overall against the Redbirds.  Dating back to last season, the Hogs and Birds split a pair of overtime thrillers at the Jones Center on November 6 & 7 of 2015.  After the Hogs dropped game 1 by a 3-2 overtime score, Arkansas rebounded to win 5-4 in overtime in game 2.  The two teams have already played twice this season earlier this month in Normal, Illinois, where Arkansas first notched a 5-2 win on October 7, but dropped a competitive 5-3 contest the next day.

The puck drops at 7:30 pm on both Friday and Saturday nights.

 

On Friday and Saturday, October 7-8, the Division III Razorback Hockey team welcomes the Kansas Jayhawks to the Jones Center.  Coming off of a bye weekend, the 5-2-0 DIII Hogs most recently dropped a 5-2 contest to the DIII Missouri State Ice Bears in Springfield, MO.  The Jayhawks enter the series with a 4-2-0 record having just swept the Dordt Blades on September 30 and October 1 by 7-4 and 4-3 scores, respectively.  The two teams met four times last season, with Arkansas winning all four games.

The series between the Hawks and Hogs dates back to the 2009-10 season when the teams split a pair of games.  Then, during the 2010-11 season, the Razorbacks swept the Hawks in the first contests of that season.  Collectively, Arkansas owns a 7-1-0 lifetime record over Kansas.  The puck drops on both Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm.  Saturday is “Pink the Rink”–the team’s annual event to raise breast cancer awareness.

Meanwhile, the #24 Division I Razorbacks (2-8-0) look to snap a historic eight game losing streak against the Illinois State Redbirds (3-2-0) in Normal, Illinois.  The two teams met four times last weekend and split the series 2-2.  The Hogs first met the Redbirds on September 25 of last season, which produced a 4-2 Arkansas win.  The next night, however, Arkansas dropped game 2 by a wide 8-2 margin.  Back home at the Jones Center, the Redbirds collected an overtime win on November 6, 2015, before the Hogs exacted some revenge the next night–also in overtime–by earning a 5-4 win.

Arkansas enters the series after having dropped a trio of exceptionally close conference contests to #5 University of Central Oklahoma last Thursday and #9 Oklahoma on Friday and Saturday.  The puck drops against Illinois State at 7:00 pm on Friday and 6:20 pm on Saturday.

On Saturday, October 1, the #22 D1 Hogs (2-7-0) will look to break a seven game losing streak against the #9 Oklahoma Sooners (3-1-1).  The Razorbacks arrived in Oklahoma City on Thursday night to take on #6 University of Central Oklahoma (4-0-0).  After a scoreless first period, the Bronchos jumped out to a 1-0 midway through the second period.  When the Hogs responded, the two teams went into the second intermission tied 1-1.  UCO broke the tie roughly two minutes into the second period and added an insurance goal minutes later.

Following the 3-1 loss, Arkansas traveled the few short miles to take on Oklahoma on Friday night.  The seesaw affair saw the Hogs jump out to a 1-0 lead after which the Sooners evened things up to make it one apiece.  The teams again traded goals, after which the Hogs added one more at the end of the period to enter the first intermission with a 3-2 lead.  Two unanswered markers for the Sooners, though, left the Razorbacks trailing by one entering the final frame.  Although the Hogs notched the equalizer just a few minutes into the third period, the Sooners scored their fifth roughly midway through the final period en route to a 5-4 win.

Saturday’s matinee affair begins at 4 pm CST.  Fans unable to attend can watch the game online here:  http://ou.edu/tv/watch.html.

This weekend, the #21 DI-Razorback Hockey (2-3-0) team travels to St. Louis to take on the DII-Lindenwood-Belleville Lynx (3-0-0).

The Lynx open their third ACHA season after two  successful campaigns saw the team amass a 29-2-1 overall record in 2014-15 and a 31-5-0 effort in 2015-16.  Over that time, the Lynx reeled off 27 straight wins during the 14-15 season including posting an undefeated record at home.  The program followed up its 14-15 effort with a Division II Nationals Appearance in the 15-16 season.  With a strong core of returners, the Lynx have already started this season on a strong note with three consecutive victories.

For its part, the Razorbacks enter the series having dropped three consecutive games to conference rivals Colorado State and Colorado (read a full recap here).  After a tight 3-0 (ENG) loss to Colorado State last Thursday, the Hogs succumbed to the Buffaloes on consecutive nights by 3-1 and 5-2 scores.

From a historical perspective, the Lynx and Razorbacks have met on four prior occasions and, in each, the Lynx have come out ahead.  In the fall of last season, the Lynx notched 7-5 and 6-0 victories on their home ice.  Back in Springdale earlier this year, the Lynx again swept the Hogs by 5-0 and 6-3 scores.  Games are at the FSI Shark Tank at 9:00 pm on Friday, September 23, and 9:10 pm on Saturday, September 24.

For its part, the DIII Razorbacks swept Texas State last weekend in two competitive affairs last weekend by scores of 7-3 and 5-4.  Division III will host a Red-White game on Friday at 7:30 pm at the Jones Center following a last-minute cancellation by Texas Tech.  The DIII Hogs will be back in action this Sunday, September 25, against Missouri State in Springfield, MO.

This weekend, the #20 DI-Razorback Hockey (2-0-0) team welcomes a pair of WCHL conference rivals.  First up is a first-ever Thursday contest against a new visitor to the Jones Center–the Colorado State Rams.  Ranked #22 in the first preseason ranking, the Rams will play their first game of the 2016-17 season against the Razorbacks.  On the heels of a 9-24-5 campaign last season, the Rams enter the year with a new coach and a new batch of talent.  The puck drops against the Rams on 8:30 pm.

Next up on Friday and Saturday for the DI Hogs is another conference rival–the Colorado Buffaloes.  Picked to finish first in the WCHL coaches poll, the Buffs enter the weekend ranked #9 in the nation.  After making a stop to take on Missouri State on Thursday, Colorado will settle in for a pair of games against the Razorbacks on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm.  The two teams have not hooked up since Colorado defeated the Hogs 1-0 on October 19 of last year.

While Division I hosts, the DIII Hogs (1-1-0) hit the road to take on first-time opponent, DII-Texas State.  The neutral site games will take place in Dallas.  Game times are 9:30 pm on Friday and 3:00 pm on Saturday at the Dr. Pepper Star Center in Farmers Branch.  Texas State finished with an overall 2015-16 record of 15-9-1 and the Bobcats enter the series having recently swept the University of North Texas last weekend by scores of 6-4 and 4-3, respectively.  For its part, the Division III Hogs enter the weekend after having split a pair of gritty conference games against Ole Miss.  After downing the Rebels 6-5 last Friday, the Razorbacks dropped game two of the series by a 5-2 margin.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Ice Hockey Club opens its tenth anniversary season and second campaign with two teams on Friday, September 9.  This season, unlike any other, the program will open its season by featuring both teams at home on back to back nights.

The Division I team opens up its season against the East Texas Baptist University Tigers (Division II).  The Tigers open their first ever season in the ACHA this year and the programs have never met.  The Razorbacks’ Division I roster (just released here) features thirteen new faces.  The 15-16 season was the first for the Arkansas hockey program fielding two teams.  Last year’s inaugural Division I team finished #21–the highest finish in ACHA history for any team in its first DI season after moving from DIII.  The team’s #21 finish also gave Arkansas the best finish of any of the five teams that made the jump to Division I this season.  The puck drops against the Tigers at 7 pm on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Meanwhile, the Division III team plays host to SECHC rival Ole Miss in an immediately critical conference match-up.  The Hogs swept the Rebels last season in Olive Branch by scores of 8-2 and 6-1 on October 30 & 31, 2015, respectively.  Game times are 9:30 pm on both Friday and Saturday nights.  Last year’s Division III team posted a twenty-eight win season, which was good for third in the SECHC and tenth in the Pacific Region.  The team will be looking for a return to Nationals after falling just short at Regionals last season, losing earlier this year 8-4 to Marquette on February 19.

Friday’s games will be broadcast on both USTREAM and MIXLR.  Saturday’s games will be carried only on the program’s MIXLR station.  Tickets can be purchased at the door starting one hour before puck drop.  Students with ID are admitted free this opening weekend.  More information on tickets is here.

Tryouts are just days away.  Below is the upcoming tryout schedule.  If you’d like to tryout, but have not yet expressed interest, fill out a prospective player form here.

August 25, 6:15-9:00 pm
August 26, 4:30-7:45 pm
August 27, 10 am-12:00 pm & 4:00-6:45 pm
August 28, 8:45-11:45 am

All sessions are open to the public at no admission cost.  Even if you are not interested in trying out, the Arkansas Men’s Ice Hockey team has a few remaining board positions for students during the 2016-17 season.  Academic credit is available.

We are five-time winners of the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference post-season playoff tournament (09-10, 10-11, 12-13, 13-14, 14-15)  and have won the regular season SEC-West conference championship for the past five consecutive seasons (09-10, 10-11, 11-12, 12-13, 13-14).  In our short history, we have appeared at Nationals three times (09-10, 13-14, 14-15), made three appearances at the South Regional tournament (09-10, 10-11, 12-13), and are consistently ranked in the top ten in our region during the regular season.

The 15-16 season was the first for the Arkansas hockey program fielding two teams.  The Division I team finished #21–the highest finish in ACHA history for any team in its first DI season after moving from DIII.  The team’s #21 finish also gave Arkansas the best finish of any of the five teams that made the jump to Division I this season.  Meanwhile, Division III’s twenty-eight win season was good for third in the SECHC and tenth in the Pacific Region.

During the 16-17 season, we will again field both a Division I and Division III team.  You can learn more about the team here and can catch up on some of the team’s media hits here.  If you’re interested in a position with the team, please contact General Manager & Assistant Coach David Valentini (dvalentini@vanguardpkg.com) for more information.

The Razorback Hockey team is pleased to announce that F-Matthew Lasky has transferred to play at Arkansas.  The 6’0″ 195 lb. left-handed forward from Coppell, Texas, recently completed his season playing college hockey for High Point University in the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League.  Playing for the Panthers, Lasky led all freshman in scoring with 13 points in 14 games.

Prior to enrolling in High Point, Lasky played 18 games for his Coppell High School team in 2014-15 when he contributed 11 goals and 20 assists while serving as the team’s captain.  One season earlier, in 2013-14, he scored 14 goals to go along with 22 assists.  Collectively, Laskly has accumulated 80 points in his last 60 games.  A long-time hockey player who began at age six, Lasky is the only two-time winner of “Cowboy Award”, as selected by his coaches, in Coppell High School hockey history as the outstanding player and teammate of the year in both his 2013-14 & 2014-15 seasons.

Said Lasky, “[t]he University of Arkansas offers a great opportunity to study at the acclaimed Walton College of Business in pursuit of undergraduate and master’s degrees in Business Administration, while at the same time playing competitive hockey for a great program with a proven track record of success under Coach Gallini.”

Lasky becomes the twenty-fourth player in a 16-17 recruiting class that has ten different states represented (Texas, Mississippi, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, Kansas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Missouri, and California) and players with experience in nine different junior leagues (NA3HL, EHL, NAHL, MnJHL, SJHL, MJAHL, WSHL, GMHL, and USPHL).  He joins the following players:

F-Drew Hill (Dallas Jr. Stars, NA3HL)
F-Chris Stovall (Springfield Express, WSHL)
F-Garrett Jackson (McKinney Northstars)
F-Alex Kueser (Eureka High School)
F-Chris Weatherly (HC Dallas AAA, NAPHL)
F-Ben Koester (Rochester Ice Hawks, NA3HL)
F-Alec Morris (Marian University, NCAA)
F-Niko Ala-Kokko (Dallas Penguins, DJHA)
F-Wesley Moore (Rampart High School, COHS)
F-Christian MacMeeken (Dallas Jr. Stars, DSTHL)
F-Alexx Vil (Texas Jr. Brahmas, DSTHL)
F-Jack Moore (East Coast Wizards, EHL)
F-Anthony Cebell (Plano East)
F-Parker Tillson (The Woodlands)
D-Alex DeGuire (Skipjacks Hockey Club, USPHL)
D-Dominic De la Guardia (Portland Jr. Pirates, USPHL)
D-Jake Jones (Bobcaygeon Storm, GMHL)
D-Blake Sibley (HC Dallas AAA, NAPHL)
D-Brian Danahy (Abington Green Wave, MAHS)
D-Zach Piekarski (McKinney North Stars, DSTHL)
D-Adam Cooke (Texas Jr. Brahmas, DSTHL)
G-Nick Bretzger (Springfield Express, WSHL)
G-Michael Moore (Chicago Cougars, USPHL)

The 15-16 season was the first for the Arkansas hockey program fielding two teams.  The Division I team finished #21–the highest finish in ACHA history for any team in its first DI season after moving from DIII.  The team’s #21 finish also gave Arkansas the best finish of any of the five teams that made the jump to Division I this season.  Meanwhile, Division III’s twenty-eight win season was good for third in the SECHC and tenth in the Pacific Region.

The 2016-17 Division I & III schedules were recently released.  You can view the Division I schedule here and the Division III schedule is available here.  All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.