Arkansas Travels to Dallas, Begins MACHA Play

Arkansas Travels to Dallas, Begins MACHA Play

This weekend Arkansas travels to Dallas to begin MACHA South Division play with a two game set against Dallas Baptist University, followed by a Sunday matinee game with The University of North Texas. This will mark the first weekend of conference play for the Hogs as members of the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA) since leaving the SEC in 2020. This season also marks the first season in the MACHA for both DBU and UNT following their move from Division II before the shortened 2020-21 season.

Dallas Baptist is coming off an appearance in the National Tournament last season. This year DBU is 1-3 following a weekend sweep at the hands of New Mexico and split with fellow South Division member Mizzou. The hogs took all 6 games from DBU last year, including their match up in pool play of the National Tournament.

UNT is 1-1 on the season following a win and overtime loss against DII Texas State at home last weekend. The Mean Green did not participate in the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Arkansas and UNT have not met since the 2018-19 season, where the Hogs swept their home two game series by a combined score of 28-2.

This marks an important weekend for the Razorbacks, who enter the weekend 3-1, as the winner of the South Division will receive and auto-bid to the MACHA Conference Championship in St. Louis. The Hogs could use your support in Dallas this weekend as they look to continue with footballs trend of owning the state of Texas!

Game times and locations:

Friday 10/1: 8:45pm puck drop- Valley Ranch Stars Center

Saturday 10/2: 7:30pm puck drop- Valley Ranch Stars Center

Sunday 10/3: 12:30pm puck drop- Euless Stars Center

Arkansas and Oklahoma Split Weekend Series in OKC

This past weekend your Hogs traveled to Oklahoma City for their first road trip of the season for a two game set against DI University of Oklahoma. Arkansas entered the game 2-0 following last weekends sweep of ETBU at home. The series would be Oklahoma’s first games and home opening weekend.

The hogs pushed the pace of play from the opening drop of the puck on Friday night. Senior Griffin Sugasawara netted the opening goal on the power play at 10:55 in the first period on assists from defensemen Cameron McAtee and Kevin LaPlante. The Sooners would answer with a shorthanded goal from Marshall Rushing with 1:47 remaining in the frame, and the first period would end in a 1-1 tie.

The Hogs wasted no time regaining the lead, when Senior Nick Valentini beat the Oklahoma net-minder with a top shelf bullet coming down the left side to put Arkansas ahead 2-1 with 17:01 remaining in the second. Sugasawara inked his name on the score sheet again with 6:30 remaining in the second period. Following passes from Pavel Salter and Brad Estrada, Sugasawara walked the puck into the low slot before making a nifty move to leave the Oklahoma goaltender flailing and neatly tucked the puck into the net.

The Razorbacks never looked tired in the third, keeping up their physical play and speed to keep the game out of reach. Junior Michael Ellis netted the Hogs fourth goal, and second powerplay goal, with 5:17 left in the third to ice the game. Arkansas looked good on the power play all night, and following good heads up passing from McAtee and Zach Wilson, Ellis was able to send a low shot past a screen in front for the final goal of the game.

Senior Jozef Dusenka made his first start of the season, making several spectacular saves; on the way to recording his first win of the season. Arkansas outshot Oklahoma 31-20 in the game.

Despite a strong start and good pace to the game, Arkansas found itself in penalty trouble early on Saturday night. Oklahoma opened the scoring 4 minutes into the game following a power-play goal by Tristan Glass. The rest of the first period was a back and forth affair, with both teams trading scoring chances and physical play.

The second period was tightly contested by both teams. The teams ran into penalty trouble during the second frame with seven infractions called collectively. Oklahoma struck again on the powerplay with 2:45 left in the period on a goal by Marshall Rushing. Arkansas quickly answered with a powerplay goal of their own a little over a minute later with a goal scored on a blast by senior defensemen Cameron McAtee, assisted by Zach Wilson.

Keeping with the theme, both teams fought for every inch of ice in the third period, with the Hogs keeping up the pressure searching for the equalizing goal. Oklahoma broke through with 3:05 left in the period on an odd-man rush, with a shot from Oklahoma’s Trevor Finch barely squeaking through. Oklahoma would tally an empty netter to complete the scoring on the weekend, and the game would end with a final of 4-1.

Freshman Grady Reis played well in his second start of the season, keeping Arkansas in the game with several tremendous saves throughout. Arkansas outshot Oklahoma again 31-28.

Hogs Sweep Opening Series Against ETBU

The Razorbacks start the 21-22 campaign on the right foot, beating ETBU by a combined score of 32-0 in their home opening series this past weekend. The two wins give Arkansas 24 straight home victories, dating back to the 18-19 season.

Friday saw eleven different Razorbacks score (Borlace-2, Deskeere-2, Ellis-2, McAtee-2, Sharrer-2, Crews, Heuerman, Hirschy, LaPlante, Sugasawara, Valentini) in front of a near sell out crowd at The Jones Center. Freshman Truman Hirschy and Jacob Heuerman both recorded their first collegiate goals. Senior Jacob Sharrer tallied his first and second goals of the season after being blanked throughout the 20-21 season, and was the first to be awarded the “Hog Head” for the games biggest impact player. Starting goaltender, sophomore Sam Haynes, records his first collegiate shutout on 16 saves. The Razorbacks dominated the pace of play for the majority of the game, and outshot ETBU 60-16.

The Hogs picked up right where they left off on Friday, matching Saturdays total on the scoreboard at 16-0. Keeping with the similarities, eleven different Razorbacks found the back of the net Saturday (Sugasawara-3, Elliott-2, Estrada-2, Moder-2, Heuerman, Lotz, McAtee, Salter, Sharrer, Valentini, Wilson). Freshman Ethan Moder and Ian Lotz both recorded their first collegiate goals. Freshman starting goaltender Grady Reis recorded his first collegiate shutout in his first career start. Sharrer passed the “Hog Head” to freshman Ian Lotz as the games biggest impact player due to his high energy and disruptiveness in his first Arkansas Razorback game.

This upcoming weekend, your hogs travel to Oklahoma City for a tough test against Div. I University of Oklahoma. These two teams have not met since the 2018-19 season, where Div. I OU swept Div. I Arkansas in three games by a combined score of 9-3. Overall the Sooners hold a strong edge in the matchup between the two programs, with a 16-2 record against the Razorbacks. On Friday, the Hogs will look to improve to 3-0, a feat they have accomplished every year under Head Coach Keller Sims. The Hogs could use the support of all Arkansas fans in the OKC area this weekend! Game times are below.

Friday: 10$ admission. 8:00 PM Puck Drop, Blazers Ice Centre, OKC, OK

Saturday: 10$ admission.5:00 PM Puck Drop, Blazers Ice Centre, OKC, OK

Ian Lotz Commits to Arkansas

The Razorback Hockey team is excited to announce that C-Ian Lotz will be attending the University of Arkansas this fall. Lotz, a 5’10”, 170lbs. center comes to Arkansas from the McKinney North Stars 18U team in McKinney, TX.

Lotz played for the McKinney North Stars organization, winning three Tier II Texas State Championships. In addition, Lotz won 2 high school state championships with Frisco High School while playing with current Razorback Michael Ellis. Lotz also cites his first state championship with Frisco as his favorite hockey memory because of how close their group was. Lotz fell in love with the speed and intensity of hockey while watching the Dallas Stars growing up and most tries to resemble his game after Nathan MacKinnon.

Lotz plans to study Supply Chain Management at Arkansas. When asked why he chose Arkansas, Ian said, “I saw it as a place I could see myself living and going to school and felt like a place I would belong.”

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association. The 2021-22 season will be the team’s fifteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be viewed here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR.

Razorbacks Add Center Ethan Moder

The Razorback Hockey team is excited to announce that C-Ethan Moder will be attending the University of Arkansas this fall. Moder, a 5’8”, 160lbs. center comes to Arkansas from the Affton Americans 18U program and Eureka High School.

Moder, a native of St. Louis, MO, was a key player for the 2021 Founder’s Cup Champions Eureka HS. Moder was the 2nd-leading scorer with 5 goals and 10 assists in 14 games in his senior season. Moder played for many years in the Affton Americans youth hockey program. The Razorbacks have a long history of recruiting from the organization, with current Razorbacks Cameron McAtee and Kyle Crews being alums of the program. Along with the 2021 Founder’s Cup Championship, Moder was also a member of the 2019 championship Eureka team.

Moder most tries to resemble Patrice Bergeron’s 2-way style of contributing on both ends of the ice. Moder plans to major in Business Administration at Arkansas. When asked why he chose Arkansas he said, “I loved the campus and the town.”

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association. The 2021-22 season will be the team’s fifteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be viewed here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR.

Noah Goodwin Commits to Arkansas

The Razorback Hockey team is excited to announce that G-Noah Goodwin will be attending the University of Arkansas this fall. Goodwin, a 5’8”, 200lbs. goalie comes to Arkansas from the Oklahoma City Oil Kings U18 program.

Goodwin, a native of Oklahoma City, OK, helped backstop the 18U Oil Kings to a 3rd place finish at the 2021 USAHockey 18U AA National Championships. In 2019, he was selected to the All-Star team at the TCHC Recruitment Camp. Goodwin began playing hockey when his Canadian-born father got him on the ice at a young age. When asked who he believes he most resembles, Goodwin chose Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros because he makes up for his size with lateral speed and great puck tracking. His favorite hockey memory is stopping all three Dallas Penguins shooters in a shootout to win a tournament championship.

Goodwin plans to major in Business Administration and continue on to get his MBA. When asked why he chose Arkansas he said, “The hockey was very appealing, and I was instantly drawn to the campus. The small-town feel with all the advantages of the many programs offered was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a school that had a hometown feel while allowing me to spread my wings and experience new things. The University of Arkansas offers all the things I was looking for.”

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association. The 2021-22 season will be the team’s fifteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be viewed here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR.

Razorback Season Preview

The 2021-22 schedule for the Arkansas Razorback Hockey team was announced last week, setting up for an exciting 15th season of Hog hockey. This will be the Razorbacks first official season as a part of the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association after announcing a departure from the SECHC in 2019. Arkansas begins the season at home on September 17th and 18th against DII East Texas Baptist University. The rivalry between the Razorbacks and Tigers has grown substantially, with teams splitting a two-game set in Shreveport, LA in the 2020-21 season. Arkansas swept the Tigers at home in the 2019-20 season. These two teams have a knack for offense, combining for an astounding 45 goals in the last 4 matchups. The hogs follow that up with a road series against DI Oklahoma. Arkansas has not played Oklahoma since the 2019-20 season. This will be the first game since February 29th, 2020 for Oklahoma, who elected to opt out of the 2020-21 season.

October gets started with a road trip to the Dallas Metroplex to take on DBU on October 1st and 2nd and North Texas on October 3rd. Arkansas swept DBU in five regular season games and one National Tournament game during the 2020-21 season. The Razorbacks last took on North Texas in 2018-19, defeating the Mean Green 10-0 and 18-2. Arkansas then returns home for four straight games, starting with two against Iowa State on October 8th and 9th. The Hogs then get a week off before welcoming longtime rival Missouri St. to The Jones Center. Arkansas swept Missouri St. during the 2020-21 season in four regular season games and the National Semi-Final.

After a week off, Arkansas will travel to Springfield, MO for the Route 66 Showcase on November 5th, 6th, and 7th. The Razorbacks look to defend their 2019 Route 66 Championship with games against Butler University on the 5th, New Mexico on the 6th, and Miami(OH) on the 7th. The Hogs then host Nebraska on November 12th and 13th. Arkansas and Nebraska have engaged in some exceptionally physical battles, last facing off in 2019 with the Razorbacks winning 6-3 and 5-2. Arkansas hits the road for a two-game set in Independence, MO against rival Kansas on November 19th and 20th. Kansas and Arkansas have a fierce rivalry that will grow even more with conference standings now on the line. The Hogs then return home to take on North Texas in a rare Sunday home game on the 21st. The Hogs cap off the Fall semester with a two-game road trip to play Mizzou on December 3rd and 4th.

After the holiday break, the Hogs open the Spring semester on home ice against Dallas Baptist on January 21st and 22nd. Arkansas hits the road for a trip to Missouri St. on January 28th and 29th, before finishing out the regular season with senior weekend on February 4th and 5th against Kansas. The following week begins postseason play at the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament. Maryville University Hockey Center will host the tournament in St. Louis, MO. Dates for the tournament are February 11th-13th. Arkansas then gets a month to prepare for the ACHA National Tournament, hosted by Maryville University in St. Louis, MO. Dates for the ACHA National Tournament are March 10th-20th.

Check out the full schedule here!

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association. The 2021-22 season will be the team’s fifteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be viewed here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR.

 

Four Razorbacks Selected to All-Tournament Teams

Four Arkansas Razorbacks were selected to All-Tournament Teams at the 2021 ACHA Division III National Tournament. Junior forward Griffin Sugasawara was selected to the 2nd Team, and junior defenseman Cameron McAtee, senior forward Chris Salmon, and senior goalie Jozef Dusenka were selected to the 1st Team.

Sugasawara recorded 2 goals and 5 assists in 5 games. Dusenka tied for most wins in the tournament with 4 wins and played the most minutes of all goalies. McAtee was the 2nd leading defenseman in goals and points with 2 goals and 1 assist. Salmon led the tournament in goals and points with 6 goals and 4 assists in 5 games. Congratulations to all 4 Razorbacks for their award-winning play at the National Tournament!

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association. The 2020-21 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be viewed here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR.

Two Razorbacks Awarded All-American Honors

Two Arkansas Razorbacks were awarded All-American honors for the 2020-21 season. Junior defenseman Cameron McAtee was selected as a  1st Team All-American and senior goalie Jozef Dusenka was selected as a 2nd Team All-American.

McAtee tallied 12 goals and 15 assists in 21 games this season, finishing 5th in the country in points. McAtee also lead the country for points by a defenseman. This is McAtee’s 2nd consecutive selection as a 1st Team All-American, in addition to his WCHL All-Rookie Team selection from 2018-19. Dusenka lead the country in wins with a record of 18-1. Dusenka finished 2nd in goals against average and 8th in save percentage in the nation, giving up just 32 goals in 19 games.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association. The 2020-21 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be viewed here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR.

Razorbacks Qualify For Program’s Sixth National Tournament Berth

The Arkansas Razorback Hockey team qualified for the 6th trip to the ACHA National Tournament in program history on Wednesday. The 5th and final rankings of the season revealed Arkansas locked up the #3 seed in the 8-team tournament. The Hogs finished 9-0 against Division 3 opponents, granting them the best record in the country against D3 schools. The Razorbacks overall record of 13-1 is also good for the most wins by a Division 3 school in the 2020-21 season. Patterson Ice Rink in Grand Rapids, MI will be hosting this year’s tournament. A limit of 200 spectators will be allowed inside the facility.

Arkansas has been placed in Group B with #2 Michigan, #6 Dallas Baptist, and #7 Central Michigan. The Razorbacks will face off against Dallas Baptist in the 1st game at 11AM EST on Thursday, April 15th. Arkansas owns the season head-to-head with a 5-0 record against DBU. Arkansas outscored DBU 26-10 in the 5-game series. The Hogs will then take on #7 Central Michigan at 11:30AM EST on Friday, April 16th. Arkansas has not played CMU in program history. The final game of the round-robin tournament will see #3 Arkansas take on #2 Michigan at 6PM EST on Saturday April 17th. Arkansas looks to avenge the loss from the 2019-20 season when they traveled to Michigan, falling to the Wolverines for one of their 4 losses last season. The top 2 teams from each group then move on to the semifinals on Monday, April 19th, followed by the championship game at 6:30PM EST on Tuesday, April 20th. Games will be livestreamed and more information will be provided on Razorback Hockey social media and website.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association. The 2020-21 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be viewed here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR.