Last weekend, the Hogs swept arch-rival Alabama in a pair of physical contests.  On Friday, Arkansas yielded an early Alabama goal, then outscored the visiting Frozen Tide 5-1 the rest of the way for a 5-2 victory.  Saturday brought another three goal win–this one 4-1–which saw Arkansas outshoot Alabama by a 34-17 margin (coincidentally the same margin as in Friday night’s contest).  The pair of wins ran the Hogs’ winning streak to fourteen straight games and extended Razorbacks’ lifetime series lead over the Tide (Arkansas is 13-4 overall in head-to-head match-ups with Alabama).  The two wins also extended the Razorbacks’ two-year home winning streak–the Hogs have not lost at home since October 14, 2011 (vs. Grand Valley State).

This weekend, the Hogs welcome another familiar rival–the Missouri State Ice Bears (Division III).  Although the two teams have faced-off consistently in close games dating back to 2009, this coming weekend’s series gains added importance given the Razorbacks’ move to the Pacific Region.  With the two programs now sharing the same region, rankings committee members will no doubt pay special attention to the series.  Missouri State enters the games riding a five game winning streak.  Amongst their eight wins, Missouri State has knocked off Northern Illinois, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, RMU-Peoria, and the University of Iowa.  By far the most impressive win for the Bears, though, was a 4-3 win over Northern Region powerhouse Oakland University on September 28.

The puck drops at 8:45 pm on Friday night and 1:00 pm on Saturday afternoon.  Tickets will be available one hour before game time on each day and range from $3-$8.

 

Coming off of a sweep of Ole Miss this past weekend, the Razorbacks welcome its biggest rival–the University of Alabama–to Springdale for a pair of games this Friday and Saturday.  The puck drops at 8:30 pm on Friday night and 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoon.  Individual tickets are available at the door beginning one hour before face-off.

Alabama enters the weekend with an overall 5-5-0 record, having notched wins over Georgia Tech, South Florida, and Tulane.  For its part, Arkansas enters the series riding a twelve game winning streak and a two year home ice winning streak.  This most recent winning streak has seen Arkansas knock off two 12-13 Nationals qualifiers in a row (Ole Miss and Marquette) and outscore its opponents by an overall margin of 82 to 14.  The Hogs’ last loss this season came at the hands of the University of Oklahoma (D1) on September 21 and its last home loss was to Grand Valley State on October 14, 2011.

But records mean little when Alabama comes to town.  Alabama last visited in February of 2012 when it was undefeated in conference play.  For its part that season, Arkansas had one conference loss and thus needed two consecutive wins over the Tide that weekend to win the regular season conference title.  Arkansas won two exceptionally close games that season (4-2 and 3-2 wins, respectively) en route to its third consecutive regular season title–a number that has since gone to four.

Alabama exacted revenge last season when, despite Arkansas having defeated Alabama in both regular season meetings, the Tide notched a 4-3 post-season win over the Razorbacks to secure a birth to Nationals.  The two teams met a fourth time in the SECHC conference championship, which saw Arkansas secure its third SECHC playoff conference title after dominating the Tide 8-0.

From a historical perspective, Arkansas holds an 11-4-0 lifetime series edge over the Tide and has outscored Alabama 68-32 over those fifteen games.

2008-09

January 17, 2009:  Alabama 5, Arkansas 1

January 30, 2009:  Alabama 5, Arkansas 2

2009-10

October 30, 2009:  Arkansas 10, Alabama 4

October 31, 2009:  Arkansas 3, Alabama 0

December 19, 2009:  Arkansas 5, Alabama 3

December 20, 2009:  Arkansas 7, Alabama 0

February 27, 2010:  Arkansas 5, Alabama 1 (SECHC Conference Semi-Final)

2010-11

November 5, 2011:  Alabama 1, Arkansas 0

November 6, 2011: Arkansas 6, Alabama 4

2011-12

February 2, 2012:  Arkansas 4, Alabama 2

February 3, 2012:  Arkansas 3, Alabama 2

2012-13

November 10, 2012:  Arkansas 6, Alabama 1

December 2, 2012:  Arkansas 5, Alabama 1

February 16, 2013:  Alabama 4, Arkansas 3 (South Regional Game 2)

February 24, 2013:  Arkansas 8, Alabama 0 (SECHC Conference Championship)

When you come to the rink this Friday, you’ll have the opportunity to attend a great hockey game and meet future NHL star Stefan Noesen.  Noesen will be seated nearby the ticket booth from 6:45-7:30 pm on Friday evening.  He is looking forward to visiting with fans and signing autographs.

Like several of the Ice Hogs, Noesen grew up in Plano, Texas.  He was drafted into the NHL in 2011 in the first round (21st overall) to the Ottawa Senators.  He then spent the next two seasons developing his game in one of the most prestigious under-20 leagues in the world–the Ontario Hockey League–playing for the Plymouth Whalers.  In the summer of 2013, he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks where he currently plays and continues to develop his game.  Noesen played in 5 pre-season exhibition games for the Ducks before sustaining a knee injury.

Noesen maintains friendships with a number of Hogs and is excited to visit Springdale this weekend to meet fans and cheer on the Razorbacks.  See some of his playing highlights before you meet him here!

In its first ever trip to Wisconsin, the Razorbacks made their way to Oshkosh and Marquette from October 19-21–a stretch that included four games in a three day stretch.  The grueling trip began with a pair of games against Division II University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.  The programs hooked up for a pair of games during the 12-13 season in Springdale, which saw the Hogs take both by 6-2 and 12-1 scores, respectively.  Game one this season began with both teams trading chances in the first period until Mason Brower opened the scoring at the 6:40 mark of the first period.  Ryan Machos added one more with just :49 seconds remaining in the period.  The Hogs added a pair in the second period on tallies from Jansen Polk and Marcel Toure.  With time winding down in the contest, Oshkosh broke the Arkansas shutout on a goal from Jason Atkinson.

Despite Saturday’s competitive 5-1 affair, Sunday’s rematch was not as close.  The Razorbacks quickly jumped out to a three goal lead in the first and added five more in the second against the Titans’ lone second period tally.  The Hogs added one more goal in the third en route to a dominant 9-1 result.

For only the second time in program history, the team played again that same day–this time against Marquette (DIII, Pacific Region) seventy-five miles away.  Marquette, a 2012-13 Nationals Qualifier, entered the contest on a seven game winning streak.  Marquette staked its only lead in the first period of game one with 11:02 remaining in the period.  Arkansas responded three minutes later on a goal from senior Co-Captain Justin McDowell.  With the game tied 1-1 entering the second, the Hogs added three more goals from freshman defenseman Brandon Van Rooyen, Justin McDowell, and senior forward Johnny Stromp.  In addition to the 5-1 victory, the Hogs outshot Marquette 50-15 and won two games in a single day for the first time in team history.

In its final game of the trip, Ryan Machos opened the scoring in the first period for Arkansas–a score that remained until deep into the second period when Marcel Toure scored.  Although Marquette quickly responded, Arkansas answered back on another goal from Toure.  The third period was all Arkansas as it added three more goals–from Forest Mudgett, Logan Drake, and Martin Sundstedt–to produce a 6-1 victory and four game sweep of the road trip.

This weekend, Arkansas puts its ten game winning streak and two year home winning streak on the line against conference rival Ole Miss–also a 2012-13 Nationals Qualifier.  The Razorbacks have not played host to an SEC opponent since the 2011-12 season.  The puck drops at 7:30 pm on both Friday and Saturday night.

On October 11 and 12, 2013, the Ice Hogs (6-2-0) played host to the University of North Texas (Division II, 8-3-0).  The Mean Green entered the series with just one loss and, for its part, Arkansas entered the weekend hoping to preserve its undefeated streak at home — a streak that dates back to October 11, 2011.

In game 1 on Friday night, the Hogs carried the play from the beginning — outshooting North Texas 22-8 in the first period and posting a 2-0 lead by the first intermission behind goals from Taylor Jones and Mason Brower.  North Texas responded with a pair of goals of its own in the second period and outshot Arkansas 15-10.  In the final stanza, Arkansas notched two more goals (on 18 shots) before UNT (7 shots) could respond with one of its own.  Kevin Scheer earned the victory in goal.  The 4-3 Razorback victory extended the team’s current winning streak to five games.

Game 2 was a less competitive tilt.  The first period of Saturday night’s contest initially foretold a repeat of Friday’s seesaw affair as the teams traded goals en route to a 3-2 Arkansas lead at the end of the first frame.  But Arkansas unloaded six straight unanswered goals in the final forty minutes to secure the sweep.  The dominant 9-2 victory saw the Hogs amass 47 shots (102 on the weekend) behind a hat trick from Mason Brower.  Spencer Mulgrew earned the victory in net.  The Saturday victory pushed the Hogs’ home winning streak to 19 games across a remarkable two-year period.

Next up for Arkansas is a formidable road test that will see the team play four games in three days.  First up is the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (Division II) on Saturday followed by a pair of games on Sunday–UWO in the morning followed by Marquette in the evening.  Marquette is not only a contender in the Pacific Region, but also qualified for Nationals during the 12-13 season.  The Hogs close out the road swing on Monday night with a second game against Marquette.

Arkansas returns home to the Jones Center on October 25 & 26 to take on Ole Miss for its first conference games.  The games against Ole Miss mark the first time the Razorbacks have hosted an SEC opponent since the 2011-12 season.

 

On October 4 & 5, the Hogs played host to Pacific Region rival Robert Morris University-Springfield.  Friday was “Pink the Rink” night in association with the University of Arkansas School of Law and the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.  Behind a standing room only crowd and a beautifully decorated rink, Arkansas opened the scoring early with a goal from sophomore forward Nick Fontana.  Erik Robinson would add one more before the end of a first period that saw the Hogs outshoot RMU 22-2.  Arkansas never looked back.  The team added a pair of goals in each of the next two periods en route to a dominant 6-0 win.

Saturday’s contest brought more of the same when the Ice Hogs played host not just to RMU-Springfield on the ice, but also to members of the Central States Law Schools Association who attended the game.  The attendees were not disappointed; although Arkansas got off to a slower start–scoring its first goal with just five minutes remaining in the first period–it exploded for four more goals inside the two minute mark including three goals scored in under thirty seconds.  Behind an additional goal in the second and four more in the third, the Razorbacks cruised to a 10-0 victory that saw the team amass ninety-eight shots.  Arkansas is currently undefeated in Division III play and has outscored its opponents by a 34-3 margin in four contests.

This weekend, the Hogs welcome Division II opponent University of North Texas.  UNT sports an impressive 8-1-0 record, with its lone loss coming at the hands of Texas A&M.  The Hogs and North Texas have not played since the 2011-12 season when Arkansas defeated UNT 5-1 and 5-4, respectively, on January 13 & 14, 2012.  Games are on Friday and Saturday at the Jones Center.  Both games begin at 7:30 pm and tickets range from three to eight dollars.  Tickets will be available for sale one hour before game time on both days.

 

The Hogs’ October 5 tilt with Pacific Region rival Robert Morris-Springfield will feature more than just a great hockey game.  The two teams have not met since the 2009-10 seasons when the Hogs traveled to Springfield, Illinois, for a pair of games on October 23 and 24, 2009.  Arkansas won both games that season by 5-2 and 6-4 respective scores, but the Eagles have never come to Springdale and the teams have not played since.  This season’s match-up is particularly intriguing because the teams are now Pacific Region rivals and the RMU-Springfield Eagles figure to be a contender.

Apart from the on-ice rivalry, the team will play host to attendees of the 2013 Central States Law Schools Association (CSLSA) annual conference.  The CSLSA is a regional organization of law schools dedicated to providing a supportive forum for conversation and collaboration with respect to scholarly activity by law school academics.  The Association’s yearly conference takes place at the University of Arkansas School of Law on October 4-5 where law faculty from across the country present papers or works in progress.

“CSLSA is really excited about this year’s ‘hockey-themed’ conference,” said CSLSA President and University of Arkansas law professor Elizabeth Young.  She added, “the conference is held at a different law school each year, and the host school always attempts to catch the ‘local flavor’ of their campus.  For us [the conference organizers], the idea of having hockey as a centerpiece was an obvious choice.  Our own Brian Gallini is the head coach and our keynote speaker, Douglas Abrams, is heavily involved in USA Hockey.  The theme of our conference is Writing What You Do—Using Experience as Inspiration for Scholarship, and these are prime examples of how experiences outside of the typical law field have translated into integral parts of a law career.”

You can see the full conference schedule here.  The puck drops at 7:30 pm on Saturday night.

The Razorback Hockey team took on the University of Oklahoma (Division I) last weekend in both teams’ first regular season games.  The games marked the first of the 13-14 season for Oklahoma.  Coming off of a stellar 22-13-6 campaign last season that saw them finish sixth in the nation, the Sooners sought to pick up this season where they left off.  Entering the series, Oklahoma held the 3-0 lifetime series advantage against the Razorbacks.  The first meeting between the two programs took place back in the 2011-12 season when Sooners traveled to Springdale, AR, for a single game on September 16, 2011, that Oklahoma won 7-3.  The teams met again during the 12-13 season when Oklahoma defeated the Razorbacks by a pair of 10-2 scores.

For their part, the Razorbacks entered the 13-14 season following a 27-9-1 (7-1-0 SECHC) effort in 12-13 that produced a regular season conference title (the program’s fourth) and a playoff conference title (the program’s third).  Lost to graduation are Garth Derry (2009-13), Trent Ritchie (2009-13), and Robert Scott (2009-13), but the Hogs reloaded with the additions of Michael Tallo, James Haddock, Jacob Brown, John Duranczyk, Stone Mudgett, Travis Robbins, Luke Seibold, Kyle Summerford, and Brandon Van Rooyen.

Despite the Hogs’ roster additions, Arkansas fell behind early against Oklahoma both games.  On Friday, the Sooners jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period and never looked back.  Oklahoma cruised to a 8-0 win behind 47 shots.  Arkansas managed just 12 in response.  Saturday’s contest was a different story.  Although the team quickly fell behind–giving up a pair of goals inside the first two minutes of play–the Razorbacks played the Sooners even for most of the remainder of the game and even outshot Oklahoma during the second period of Saturday’s contest.  That same period, the Hogs nearly capitalized on a 5-on-3 power play opportunity, but stellar play by Sooners goaltender, senior Nick Holmes, kept the Razorbacks out of the net.  The Sooners went on to add a third tally in the final stanza en route to a 3-0 final.

This weekend, Arkansas completes its four-game road swing by traveling to Peoria, Illinois, to take on Robert Morris-Peoria.  The two teams have never met.  The pair of games against the Eagles marks the Razorbacks’ opening games against a Division III opponent and marks the program’s first contests in the Pacific Region.  For its part, the Eagles begin their season against the Razorbacks having completed a standout 12-13 season that saw them sitting at or near the top of the Pacific rankings throughout the totality of last season.  The Eagles are led in scoring by returning defenseman Sam Milligan who, in just 20 games last season, registered 29 goals and 25 assists.  Milligan was selected to the DIII All-American First Team last season.  Milligan was also selected to represent RMU on the ACHA All-Star team that traveled to Europe last winter.

The Hogs return home on October 4/5 and play host to another Pacific Region rival–Robert Morris-Springfield.  October 4th’s contest is the fourth annual “Pink the Rink.”  The puck drops at 7:30 pm on both nights.

The Razorback Hockey team swept a pair of exhibition games from the Tulsa Oilers over the past weekend.  On Friday night, a great crowd packed the Jones Center in Springdale to witness this year’s product, and was not disappointed. The Razorbacks took command from the opening faceoff on a goal by senior left winger Johnny Stromp 27 seconds into the game. Sophomore Ryan Machos followed up on a pretty passing play from Stromp and freshman James Haddock and the Hogs were up 2-0 with barely 4 minutes gone in the first. Martin Sundstedt scored an unassisted goal 33 seconds later and the Hogs were off and running. Justin McDowell tallied a nice goal with an assist from defenseman Chris Green to close out the first period scoring. The Hogs peppered the Tulsa goalie with 25 shots in the first period.

Tulsa toughened up defensively in the second period, but could not sustain offense as the Razorbacks transition game exploited Tulsa giveaways. Center Ryan Machos scored two goals less than two minutes apart to put the game out of reach 6-0.

The third period saw the Hogs tally goals by Stromp, Jacob Brown, Marcel Toure and Forrest Mudgett to close out the game 10-0. The Hogs went 2 for 5 on the power play with Ryan Machos netting the hat trick and two assists. Johnny Stromp played a strong game with two goals and three assists. Martin Sundstedt had a goal and two assists, Jacob Brown had a goal and an assist. Chris Green contributed three assists. The Hogs poured 67 shots on the Tulsa net minder. Kevin Scheer was rarely tested and picked up the shut out.

Another great crowd attended the rematch on Saturday. Hogs Head Coach Brian Gallini mixed lines to find more chemistry. Again, the first period started off quickly for the Hogs with sophomore Travis Robbins cashing in less than 5 minutes into the game. However, Tulsa came back after Taylor Jones was whistled for tripping and scored a power play goal for their first goal of the series. Physical play picked up as Tulsa was no doubt humbled by the previous night’s shellacking. The first period ended 1-1.

The Hogs found the going rough in the second period as Tulsa picked up the physical play and began bottling up the Hogs along the boards. Jake Duranczyk broke the tie with some heavy duty work by Justin McDowell and the Hogs were up 2-1. Tulsa came right back and tied the game at 2. But, Duranczyk connected on a nice display of hands from Sundstedt and momentum swung back to the Hogs 3-2. Tulsa continued to play hard and tied the game at 3, then took their first lead of the game 4-3 on nice display of hustle while shorthanded. Tulsa continued to pressure and hit the goalpost. Play seesawed back and forth until the Hogs struck with Logan Drake taking a feed from Joseph Dancy and knotted the game at 4. Martin Sundstedt deflected a shot from Stromp and Robbins with 24 seconds left in the second period to retake the lead.

But the Hogs had a game on their hands when with less than 5 minutes gone in the third period Tulsa’s Watson motored untouched into the slot and whistled a shot over the glove hand of Hogs goalie Spencer Mulgrew. Play remained physical with scrums and whistles slowing the Razorbacks attack. A hit from behind penalty against Tulsa opened the door for the Hogs as Justin McDowell cashed in on the power play from Green and Robinson. Taylor Jones restored a two goal lead with assists from McDowell and Green. Tulsa blew apart at the seams after Referee Chip Excell ejected two Oilers for misconduct penalties at the 16:55 mark. Jansen Polk closed out the scoring with an assist from Brandon Van Rooyen.

Jake Duranczyk led the way for the Hogs with two goals, Justin McDowell contributed a goal and two assists, Martin Sundstedt netted a goal and an assist, and Chris Green logged three more assists while playing shut down defense. The Hogs totaled 70 shots at two Tulsa goalies.

The Ice Hogs open non-conference play with a pair of road games at Division I Oklahoma on Friday the 21st & 22nd. The puck drops at 7:30pm on Friday and 4pm on Saturday.