The Razorback Hockey team is pleased to announce that Jake Jones has formally committed to play at Arkansas.  A 6’0″ defenseman originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Jones recently completed his season with the Bobcaygeon Storm in the Greater Metro Junior Hockey League (GMHL).

Said Jones, “after reading about the great strides that the program has made in just two years after seeing them at the SEC showcase, it’s clear that Arkansas is committed to furthering its hockey program.”  Jones added, “after visiting the campus, I decided that Arkansas would be an excellent place for me to further my education and hockey career.”

The Arkansas hockey program recently finished its first season fielding two teams.  The Division I team’s final ranking of #23 is the highest finish in ACHA history for any team in its first DI season after moving from DIII.  The team’s #23 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 will be released in early summer.  All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

The University of Men’s Ice Division I Ice Hockey team finished its inaugural Division I campaign with a sweep of the WSHL Dallas Snipers on February 12 & 13.  The final pair of wins pushed the Hogs’ final record to 17-15-3.

Looking back on the season, the DI Razorbacks made a habit of defying predictions.  At the outset, no one had Arkansas on the national scene in the preseason and, by all accounts, most thought the team would struggle in its first season of Division I play.  The team was moreover picked to finish last in the pre-season WCHL poll.

But wins over Oklahoma, Colorado, and Central Oklahoma–the defending National Champion–started to change both minds and perceptions. A sweep of arch-rival Alabama and collecting 6 of 8 points from Missouri State in their four contests helped further announce the team’s arrival on the Division I scene.  Collectively, those results earned Arkansas fifth overall in the WCHL and kept Arkansas in the national rankings throughout the season for all but two ranking periods.

Final WCHL Standings

More impressively, though, the team’s final ranking of #23 is the highest finish in ACHA history for any team in its first DI season after moving from DIII.  The team’s #23 finish also gave Arkansas the best finish of any of the five teams that made the jump to Division I this season:

#23 Arkansas
#26 Missouri State
#34 Illinois State
#37 Alabama
#54 Temple

As the historic season winds down, Arkansas says goodbye to graduating seniors Co-Captain Ryan Machos (#20), Assistant Captain Mason Brower (#13), Luke Seibold (#21), Travis Robbins (#77), Co-Captain Michael Tallo (#16) and Assistant Captain Chris Green (#4).

As we say goodbye to our six seniors, we are excited to introduce our new recruiting class.   Stay tuned during the off-season for stories about the newest incoming Hogs who will compete for a roster spot in August.  Thank you again to all of our fantastic fans for another memorable season.

On Friday, February, 19, at 9 am CST, the DIII Razorbacks (#10 Pacific, 28-3-1 overall) will play for their season against Marquette University (#3 Pacific, 23-4-2 overall) in the first round of the Pacific Regional Tournament (full bracket immediately below).

All four regional site tournaments will begin tomorrow as teams from across the country will compete for the remaining spots at the National Tournament.  Of the fifteen ranked teams in each region, only the top ten are eligible for national post-season play.  The top two teams from the final ranking period receive an automatic bye to the National Tournament.  That leaves open spots at the National Tournament for two teams from each region.

To fill those spots, teams ranked third through tenth in the final ranking period compete in a Regional Tournament held somewhere in their specific region.  This year’s single elimination Pacific Regional Tournament takes place in Lincoln, Nebraska.  At the conclusion of the four regional tournaments, sixteen teams are left standing.  The sixteen team field is then ranked for purposes of the National Tournament and each of the sixteen teams is placed in one of four pools.

Prior to an idle weekend last weekend, the Hogs are coming off of a season-saving 3-2 win over Vanderbilt to claim third place in the SECHC conference tournament.  As the final rankings reflect, Arkansas ended up needing that win to clinch a spot at this weekend’s Regional.

Safely in the Regional Tournament with the #3 seed, Marquette played in the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association Silver Division playoffs last weekend.  Marquette won the tournament with wins over Loyola University, Aurora University, and Iowa State.

Arkansas has never lost to Marquette in their few meetings.  The teams last met in Springdale on October 17 & 18 of 2014 when the Hogs defeated Marquette 7-0 and 7-3.  The only other games likewise saw Arkansas sweep the series when, in 2013, the Hogs traveled to Wisconsin and earned 4-1 and 6-1 victories on October 20 & 21.

Puck drop is scheduled for 9 am on Friday.

On February 12 & 13, the #19 Division I Razorback Hockey team (15-15-3) welcomes the WSHL Springfield Express.   The Hogs enter the weekend after having taken 3 of 4 points from Missouri State last weekend.  In game 1 against the Bears, Arkansas welcomed the Law School and treated the capacity crowd to an eight goal offensive outburst.  The eight goal performance comprised the biggest offensive surge for the team all season.

After honoring its senior class, the Hogs had a tougher road in a substantially more competitive second game.  The team found itself down 2-0 after the first period on Saturday but rallied to score four unanswered goals.  But the 4-2 lead melted over the course of the third period and the Bears tied the contest in regulation.  Neither team scored during an overtime that saw both teams trade chances.  The Bears earned the victory in the ensuing three-round shootout. The weekend performance vaulted Arkansas to its highest ranking all season–at #19.

Meanwhile, the DIII Razorbacks traveled to Nashville for the SECHC conference playoff tournament last weekend.  After a 21-2 drubbing of LSU in the first round, Florida knocked the Hogs out of the tournament behind a 7 goal effort.  But, in the third place game, the Razorbacks pulled out a 3-2 victory against Vanderbilt–avenging an earlier season 5-0 disappointment and taking two of three games from the Commodores on the season.

Next up for the Division III Razorbacks is the Regional Tournament.  Held in Lincoln, Nebraska, on February 19 & 20, the Hogs will play for the opportunity to earn a bid to the National Tournament.  The DIII Hogs are idle this weekend.

The puck drops for this weekend’s DI games at 8:30 pm on Friday and 4:00 pm on Saturday.

On February 5 & 6, the #22 DI Hogs (14-15-2) are set to host WCHL conference rival, #20 Missouri State (17-17-0).  The Razorbacks enter the weekend on a four-game skid, having most recently dropped a pair of contests to the University of Oklahoma last weekend by 5-1 and 7-3 scores.  The Ice Bears, meanwhile, come to Springdale on a four game winning streak.  After dispatching DII Missouri by 10-1 and 4-0 scores earlier last month, Missouri State swept Illinois State last weekend in its final home series of the season.

The season is on the line for both clubs.  In order to safely make the National Tournament, the Hogs and/or Bears would likely need to be #18 or better in the National Rankings.  Although the top twenty ranked teams ostensibly make the final field, that number is reduced by other conferences who have both autobids and teams in those conferences that are outside the top twenty-five.  Stated differently, unranked teams who win an autobid conference will kick out ranked teams within the top 20.

The puck drops against Missouri State at 7 pm on Friday, February 5, and at 4:00 pm on Saturday, February 6.  Friday is Law Night and Saturday is Senior Night.

The season is on the line for DIII as well.  The DIII Razorbacks travel to the SECHC conference tournament to compete for the program’s sixth conference title.  Arkansas has never lost a game in the SECHC tournament in five previous appearances.  The DIII Hogs enter the critical weekend after having swept DII Kansas last weekend.  Arkansas opens the tournament as the #1 seed against LSU on Friday, February 5, at 8 pm.  The game will be broadcast live here.  A complete downloadable tournament bracket is below.

Meanwhile, the SECHC announced all-conference awards this week and five Razorbacks were recognized.

First Team ALL SECHC:
Ross Miller
Forest Mudgett
Sky Chambers

2nd Team ALL SECHC:
Hutton Kalik
Renaud Gaboury

Big crowds are expected this Friday and Saturday, January 29 & 30, when the #21 DI Razorbacks (14-13-2) welcome conference opponent #11 University of Oklahoma (15-8-4) to the Jones Center.  Puck drop on Friday night is at 8:30 pm and Saturday’s contest begins at 4:00 pm.  Entering the weekend, the conference standings place Oklahoma third with Arkansas sitting at fifth.

The Sooners arrive in Arkansas after having dropped a pair of games to #8 Colorado at home (6-0 and 5-4 (SO)).  The last time these two teams hooked up was much earlier in the season–on September 18 & 19–when the Hogs and Sooners split the series.  After dropping game one 4-3, the Razorbacks rebounded to earn a 3-2 victory in game two.  The Sooners own a 10-1 series lead in the four years the two programs have played.

Arkansas meanwhile enters the weekend after dropping a pair of games to Lindenwood-Belleville by 5-0 and 6-3 scores.  After being shutout in game 1, the Hogs kept the contest close in game 2 until the eight-minute mark of the third period.  With the score 3-2 in Lindenwood-Belleville’s favor, the Lynx suddenly notched three unanswered goals in a two-minute span.  Despite the disappointing result, the Hogs remain ranked #21 in this week’s national poll and are thus still very much in the post-season hunt.

Meanwhile, the DIII Razorbacks (24-2-1, #7 Pacific) head back on the road for a two-game set against Kansas (DII).  The DIII Razorbacks split a pair of games against Pacific Region rival Missouri State, dropping game one 8-2 but rebounding to earn a victory in game two by a 6-2 score.

The Hogs and Jayhawks last met at the end of the first semester when Arkansas earned a sweep by 6-3 and 10-5 scores on December 4 & 5.  This meeting, however, will take place in Independence, Missouri, at 6:00 pm on January 29 with the series finishing at 1:00 pm on January 30.

The KU games mark the final regular season match-ups for the DIII Razorbacks before the SECHC tournament.  The SECHC conference tournament will take place February 5-7 and Arkansas will again enter the tournament as the #1 seed.

On Friday and Saturday, January 21 & 22, the #21 DI Razorbacks (14-11-2) welcome the Lynx of Lindenwood-Belleville (19-4-0) to the Jones Center for the first time.  Puck drop on Friday night is at 8:30 pm and Saturday’s contest begins at 7:30 pm.

The Lynx arrive in Arkansas boasting some impressive numbers.  Despite being just second-year members of the ACHA, Lindenwood-Belleville has amassed a cumulative record of 48-6-1.  Having outscored opponents in their inaugural 14-15 campaign 236-45, the Lynx have posted similarly impressive offensive numbers again this season (118-57).

For its part, the DI Hogs enter the weekend on a two game winning streak and having taken 7 of the last 8 available points in the past four games dating back to last semester.  Doing so earned the Razorbacks a bump in the rankings to #21–the highest ranking for the team all season.  The team’s recent performance has also preserved its chance of earning an invite to the National Tournament–something no team has ever done following a move to Division I from Division III.

Meanwhile, the DIII Razorbacks (23-1-1, #7 Pacific) get on the road for a two-game set against Missouri State (9-17-0).  The Hogs and Bears meet at 9:45 pm in Springfield on Friday night and complete their series at 3 pm on Saturday.  Arkansas enters the weekend again having swept Southern Illinois by 13-0 and 6-2 scores, whereas the Bears just dropped a pair of games to Wisconsin-Platteville (8-2 and 5-4 scores).

The Division I Razorbacks (14-11-2) kicked off 2016 the right way, with a sweep of the Midland Warriors (13-8-4) on Thursday and Friday, January 14 & 15.  The two teams met in Springdale back on November 13 & 14 when the Razorbacks notched a victory in game one–4-3 in overtime–but dropped game two in regulation 3-2.

Despite the pair of close November contests, the start of 2016 placed some distance between the two teams as the Razorbacks cumulatively outscored the Warriors 9-4 in two games and never trailed in six total periods.  The pair of wins marked the second sweep for the Hogs of a Division I opponent this season–the first being a pair of 4-1 wins over Alabama on 10/30 & 10/31.

The Lynx of Lindenwood-Belleville are next up for the Division I Razorbacks.  In the Razorbacks’ first series of the 15-16 season, the Lynx swept the Hogs by 7-5 and 6-0 scores on September 11 & 12.  Although Arkansas jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first September game, the Lynx climbed back into the see-saw affair to earn the victory behind five power play goals.  Game two of that early season series was far less competitive; the Lynx poured on fifty-four shots and never trailed in the shutout effort.

Since then, Lindenwood-Belleville has amassed an impressive 19-4-0 overall record–a record that includes a shootout victory over Oklahoma.  Brad Edwards paces the Lynx offensively with 31 points (16 G, 15 A) while both Kyle Miller (8-2-0, 2.29 GAA) and Jackson Germaine (10-2-0, 2.49 GAA)  share goaltending responsibilities.

The upcoming series with the Lynx comes at a critical time when the Hogs look to make their final push toward the post-season.  With the Midland series complete, the Razorbacks will play their next eight consecutive games on home ice.  “It’s pretty simple:  we need our crowd,” said DI Head Coach Brian Gallini.  “We’ve always derived tremendous strength from our fans and this push will be no different.”

But this push is different–at least for the record books.  No program in the history of the ACHA has jumped from Division III to Division I and earned a trip to the Division I National Tournament in the first year.  Over the course of this month, Arkansas will look to do just that.

Face-off times are 8:30 pm on Friday, January 22, and 7:30 pm on Saturday, January 23.

Over the next two weeks, the Men’s Hockey team will be out in the community selling season tickets, selling game jerseys, and autographing schedules.  Come by and see us!

Schedule

• January 12th, 12-4 pm @ Sam’s Club (3081 AR-112, Fayetteville, AR 72704)
• January 13th, 12-4 pm @ Sam’s Club
• January 17th, 2-6 pm @ Walmart Supercenter (3919 No. Mall Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72703)
• January 18th, 12-4 pm @ Sam’s Club
• January 19th, 12-4 pm @ Sam’s Club
• January 20th, 12-4 pm @ Sam’s Club
• January 21st, 12-4 pm @ Sam’s Club
• January 24th, 2-6 pm @ Walmart Supercenter

The Razorback Hockey team is pleased to announce that Chris Weatherly has formally committed to play at Arkansas.  A 5’9″ forward from Flower Mound, Texas, Weatherly currently plays for the NAPHL AAA HC Dallas program and, prior to that, completed two seasons with the HC Dallas 16U program.

Said Weatherly, “I’m excited to be joining the University of Arkansas team because I believe it’s a place where I can grow. The program is well­ run, with the coaching staff expecting the best from their players on and off the ice.”  Weatherly makes the second HC Dallas player to commit to Razorback Hockey–current Razorback, Christophe Jobin, played last season in the HC Dallas program.

Weatherly also expressed excitement about the University more generally.  “I know that not only will I enjoy my time playing hockey, but I will receive a high quality education while studying Exercise Science with the intent of becoming a physical therapist. Arkansas to me is the place where I can achieve all my goals: competing with a top­ notch hockey program and training for my future career.”

The Arkansas hockey program is currently in the middle of its first season fielding two programs.  At this, the holiday break, the Division I team is ranked #23 in the country with a 12-11-2 overall record while the Division III team sits at #7 in the Pacific Region with a 21-1-1 overall record.

The Division I & III schedules are available here and here.  Eight home games remain in the 15-16 season.  All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.