The Razorbacks met the Eastern Illinois Panthers for the first time in the two programs’ histories last weekend.  On Friday, January 24, the game began as competitive.  The Hogs staked an early 2-0 lead behind a pair of goals from sophomore forward, Mason Brower.  But EIU responded with a goal from freshman Sam Turk.

The second period began with a third Razorback goal, this one from sophomore forward Ryan Machos, but EIU again answered to cut the Arkansas lead to 3-2.  That was as close as EIU would get all weekend.  The Hogs scored two more second period goals and added four more in the third period.  EIU managed just one additional goal and Arkansas cruised to a 9-3 win behind sixty-one shots and four goals from senior captain Martin Sundstedt.  Kevin Scheer earned the win in net for the Hogs.

Saturday’s rematch was an even less competitive affair.  Arkansas started fast in the first period, scoring five times on eighteen shots.  The Hogs added three more in the second period and six goals in the final frame.  EIU managed just one goal and the Razorbacks earned a 14-1 win—the team’s most lopsided victory of the season.  Spencer Mulgrew earned the victory in net.

This weekend, the Hogs welcome the Auburn Tigers to town for the final regular season home games of the 2013-14 season.  The puck drops at 8:30 pm on Friday and 4:00 pm on Saturday (information about tickets can be found here).  Saturday night is senior night and the team will honor graduating seniors Justin McDowell, Martin Sundstedt, Easton Oliver, Michael Kress, Tyler Bynum, and Johnny Stromp.  With a weekend sweep of the Tigers, the Hogs would earn their fifth consecutive SEC-West regular season conference title.

The Razorbacks picked up another pair of wins on home ice last weekend when Dordt came calling.  On Friday night, in front of a sold out Jones Center crowd, the Hogs wasted no time taking control of the game.  During the first shift of the game, sophomore defenseman Erik Robinson scored with just 34 seconds having expired from the game clock.  The Hogs continued pouring it on in the first–scoring four more times in the period to enter the middle frame with a comfortable 5-0 lead.

Arkansas added a lone marker with 86 seconds to play in the second period that put the Hogs up 6-0 heading into the third period.  A pair of tallies in the third period ran the final score to 8-0 behind a total of 46 shots.  Kevin Scheer turned away all 15 of Dordt’s shots and earned the shutout in net.

Saturday evening’s contest drew another great crowd that watched another offensive explosion from the Razorbacks.  The Hogs this time managed 62 shots on net and earned 10 total goals as a reward.  Dordt’s lone goal on the weekend came at 16:33 in the first period, but their advantage did not last long.  Martin Sundstedt, Logan Drake, and Marcel Toure all scored before the end of the first period to make the score 3-1 at the first intermission.  Of the remaining seven goals, Arkansas scored four on the power play.  Spencer Mulgrew earned the victory in net for the Razorbacks.

This weekend, on January 24 & 25, the Hogs again put their home winning streak on the line (Arkansas has not lost at home since October 14, 2011)–this time against Division II Eastern Illinois.  The Panthers and Razorbacks have never met.  Game times are 8:30 pm on Friday and 4:00 pm on Saturday.

 

After a successful first semester, Arkansas started the second semester of play this past weekend with two wins over the Dallas Junior Stars (NA3HL) and a win against Dallas Baptist University (DII).  In those three games, the Razorbacks outscored their opponents by a cumulative score of 21-3.

Looking back on the first semester, the Hogs got off to a somewhat rocky start this season, dropping a pair of games to fifth ranked Division I Oklahoma.  But the team quickly turned things around, winning sixteen straight games including sweeps of North Texas (DII), and three 2013 national qualifiers—Marquette, Alabama & Ole Miss.  The Hogs’ signature win came against 11th ranked Division I Central Oklahoma, marking the first time in program history that the Razorbacks defeated a DI opponent.  Among other first semester highlights, Arkansas was ranked number one in the Pacific Region after the first ranking period and was the unanimous choice for that same honor after the second ranking period (for more on how the rankings work, see here).

Now, looking ahead, the Hogs wrap up the regular season with three consecutive home weekends against Dordt, Eastern Illinois  (DII), and conference rival Auburn.  Following the Auburn series, the Razorbacks will travel to Pelham, Alabama, to defend their SECHC conference title.  Importantly, the conference playoffs will for the first time be held prior to publication of the final rankings.  The team’s play during that tournament will therefore be an important factor in the voting committee’s determination of whether Arkansas receives an automatic bid to the National Tournament (held this year in Florida).

This weekend, the Dordt Defenders come calling in the two programs first-ever meetings.  Game time on Friday night is 8:30 pm and the rematch takes place at 4:00 pm Saturday.  Join us as we hope to pack the Jones Center!

The Hogs will no longer travel to Lebanon, Missouri, to take on Pacific Region rival McKendree University on January 10 & 11, 2014.  Although the Razorbacks will still hit the road that same weekend, they will instead travel to Dallas for a trio of games.  On January 10, the team will open the second semester against the Dallas Junior Stars of the NA3HL at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter in Euless, Texas.  The puck drops at 7:30 pm that evening.

The next morning, on January 11, Arkansas will take on Division II opponent Dallas Baptist University (fans may recall that the two-game set against DBU–initially scheduled for December of 2013–was wiped out by inclement weather).  That game will take place at 11:30 am in Richardson, Texas, at the Ice Training Center.

Finally, to round out the weekend, the Hogs will return that same evening, still on January 11, to again take on the Dallas Junior Stars of the NA3HL at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter in Euless, Texas.  The puck drops on Saturday evening at 7:30 pm.  Prospective players and their parents are welcome to join the team for a reception prior to the game from 5:30-7:00 pm.  Families are encouraged to RSVP for the reception by emailing Associate Head Coach Rick Desjardins at desjman2162@aol.com.

Arkansas then returns home for a pair of games against Pacific Region opponent Dordt College on January 17 & 18.  Those games will mark the first time the two teams have played one another.

Just before Thanksgiving, the Hogs were featured on the 4029 Pigskin Pregame show.  Enjoy the segment!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntNuB5kcEZc&feature=youtu.be

“Arkansas 4, Central Oklahoma 3 OT” was more than just another line score from the ACHA action on the night of Nov. 22.

Way more!

Arkansas is a Division III non-varsity hockey team. Central Oklahoma is a Division I team. More than that, the Broncos are a ranked DI team, No. 10 going into their two-game series with the Hogs.

DIII teams rarely beat DI teams — ranked or otherwise — and certainly not on the road as the Razorbacks did. (According to the ACHA, four of the 144 other DIII teams — all Atlantic Division teams — have turned the trick five times this season, but none defeated a DI top 25 opponent.)

“Unquestionably, this was the biggest win of our [seven-year] existence,” said head coach Brian Gallini, whose Arkansas team (shown celebrating a goal against Central Oklahoma in photo) is 17-5-0-0, ranked No. 1 in the ACHA’s Pacific Region and in first place in the South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference’s West Division.

He said the Central Oklahoma coaches were very complimentary of the Razorbacks, telling him … [read the rest of the story here].

This past weekend, Arkansas traveled to the University of Central Oklahoma (Division I) for a two-game set.  Looking to rebound from a disappointing weekend against Missouri State (Division II), the Razorbacks faced a more than stiff test in UCO.  Entering the weekend, the Broncos were impressively ranked #9 in the nation and were riding a six game winning streak.  When the two teams played last season, UCO dominated the Hogs by 9-1 and 10-2 scores respectively.

Things were, however, different in this series.  Johnny Stromp opened the scoring for the Hogs at the 8:09 mark of the first period but UCO quickly struck back with a pair of goals of its own to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.  Ryan Machos evened things up for the Razorbacks in the second period and the teams entered the second intermission tied 2-2.  In the final frame, Marcel Toure blocked a UCO defenseman’s shot and carried the puck the length of the ice and scored at the 12:29 mark of the third.  UCO tied the game again at 6:19 to play and that’s how the game would remain at the end of regulation.  James Haddock scored the overtime game winner at the 3:19 mark and lifted the Hogs to its first ever victory over a Division I program.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=747OIveRTlg&feature=youtu.be

Saturday’s game nearly told an identical story.  Defenseman Travis Robbins opened the scoring for Arkansas at the 13:20 mark of the first period and Johnny Stromp added a powerplay goal early in the second period.  UCO answered with a pair of second period goals and again sent the two teams into the second intermission tied 2-2.  But similar magic was not to be on Saturday evening.  Although the teams played one another tight, UCO scored three goals on six shots in the third period to lift the Bronchos to a 5-2 victory.

The weekend’s games sent Arkansas into the Thanksgiving break with an overall record of 17-5-0.  When the team returns from the holiday, the Razorbacks will close out the first semester by hosting Division II Dallas Baptist on December 6 & 7.  The puck drops at 8:30 pm on Friday at 4:00 pm on Saturday.

On November 15 & 16, the Hogs traveled to Springfield, Missouri, to take on the Division II Missouri State Ice Bears (11-4).  On Friday, the Hogs dropped a close 4-3 contest despite outshooting the Bears by a 31-22 margin.  The Razorbacks staked an early 1-0 lead but Missouri State responded to make it 1-1 at the end of the first.  Arkansas extended its lead to 3-1 in the second period only to see Missouri State notch its second goal with just seconds remaining in the middle frame.  The Bears would add two more goals en route to a come from behind 4-3 victory that snapped the Razorbacks’ sixteen game win streak.  Remarkably, no penalties were called during the contest.

Arkansas again outshot Missouri State on Saturday, although by a much closer 23-22 margin.  The teams played one another even at the end of the first period, but the Bears scored all three of its goals in the second–two coming on the power play (one five on three and one five on four, respectively).  Although Arkansas carried the majority of the play in the final frame, they could never get the scoring started and Missouri State secured a sweep with a 3-0 victory.

This weekend, the Razorbacks face an even tougher test by traveling to Oklahoma City, OK, to take on Division I University of Central Oklahoma.  UCO enters the weekend set ranked #10 in the nation at the Division I level and riding a six game winning streak.  Overall, UCO has amassed a 16-6-1 record that includes wins over Iowa State, Lindenwood, and Rutgers–among many others.  Game times are 7:30 pm both nights at the Arctic Edge Ice Arena and fans can pay to watch both games on fasthockey.com.

On Wednesday, November 20, the Hogs were featured on a segment titled “Liz Learns It” on the Fox Morning Edge (KNWA).  The segment is premised on the morning show’s anchor, Liz Hogan, going out into the community to learn or attempt to learn a new skill.  In earlier segments, Liz learned dog grooming, how to the play trumpet, and how to play tennis.  When she visited the Ice Hogs, the team did its best to teach her something about the sport of hockey.  It was a pleasure having Liz stop by.  Enjoy the segment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSj2HGfxcC8&feature=youtu.be

 

On November 8 & 9, the Ice Hogs welcomed the Division III Missouri State Bears to Springdale for a pair of critical Pacific Region contests.  On Friday night, Arkansas got off to a quick start behind Connor Crumblish’s tally at the 16:39 mark of the first period.  Although Missouri State answered about a minute later, the Hogs scored three more unanswered first period goals.  The Hogs would add one more in the second period before the Bears answered to make it 5-2 at the end of two periods.  Arkansas finished the game with a trio of markers in the third period en route to an 8-2 win.  The Razorbacks outshot the Bears in Friday night’s contest by a 55-27 margin.

Saturday’s game was a much closer affair.  Although the Hogs jumped out to a 3-1 lead at the end of the first period behind goals from Durancyzk, Toure, and Machos, Missouri State evened things up in the second period and took the lead 4-3 early in the third period.  The Hogs then rallied behind a pair of goals from senior captain Martin Sundstedt and another marker from Marcel Toure.  The Bears added one more late goal, but Arkansas went on to secure a 6-5 victory.  The Bears potted five goals behind just fifteen shots; Arkansas, for its part, had thirty-eight shots in the game.

The pair of victories ran the Hogs win streak to sixteen straight games and extended its home winning streak–a streak that dates back to October of 2011.  This weekend, the Razorbacks hit the road to Springfield, Missouri, where they’ll meet the Division II Missouri State Bears in a match-up that has grown in intensity since its inception back in 2009.  Arkansas leads the lifetime series–by one game.  A more precise historical look back at the series reflects how competitive these games always are:

2009-10

February 12, 2009:  Arkansas 4, Missouri State 3 (OT)

February 13, 2009:  Missouri State 9, Arkansas 0

2010-11

October 29, 2010:  Arkansas 4, Missouri State 3

October 30, 2010:  Arkansas 6, Missouri State 3

2011-12

October 28, 2011:  Missouri State 5, Arkansas 3

October 29, 2011:  Arkansas 5, Missouri State 3

December 9, 2011:  Arkansas 9, Missouri State 1

2012-13

October 5, 2012:  Missouri State 4, Arkansas 1

October 6, 2012:  Missouri State 4, Arkansas 2

The puck drops against the Bears at 7 pm on both Friday and Saturday night.  Information on tickets is available here.  Both games will be at Mediacom Ice Park in Springfield, Missouri.