On February 14 & 15, Arkansas took on the University of Oklahoma.  OU, a Division I program, entered the weekend ranked #3 in the nation with an impressive 24-5-3 record.  Amongst their many season accomplishments, OU handed consensus #1 Arizona State its first of only two regular season losses.  Since their games with the Razorbacks, the Sooners have earned the #2 overall seed in the Division I National Championship.

Looking solely at Friday’s score between the Sooners and Razorbacks suggests a significant divide between the two programs.  Despite a competitive first period on Friday, the Sooners took over the hockey game in the second period.  Having scored a pair of goals in the first period, the Sooners added five goals in the second period to enter the third period with a commanding 7-1 lead.  The teams played even in the third period en route to a final 8-2 OU victory.

Saturday night was a different story altogether.  In front of a rowdy sold-out Jones Center crowd, the Sooners again jumped out to a 2-0 lead at the end of the first intermission.  Unlike Friday’s contest, though, the balance of the game remained close.  Although the Sooners notched a power play marker in the second period, Arkansas responded with a goal of its own to send the teams into the third frame with OU ahead 3-1.  Things got interesting late in the third period when freshman Jacob Brown buried a pass from sophomore Nick Fontana to make the score 3-2.  Although the Hogs had a handful of late chances, the Sooners earned the victory and weekend sweep.

In addition to a pair of great games, fans were treated on Saturday night to a ceremony honoring graduating seniors Martin Sundstedt, Easton Oliver, Justin McDowell, Johnny Stromp, and Tyler Bynum.  Next up for the Hogs is the Division III National Tournament in Coral Springs, Florida, from March 11-15.  Fans can learn more about the tournament here!

On Saturday night, February 8, Arkansas took on South Carolina — the #3 ranked team in the South. The Hogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, but then played the Gamecocks even in the second frame as both teams potted a pair of goals.  With a 5-2 lead entering the third, the Razorbacks exploded for six goals en route to an 11-2 final and a trip the SEC conference finals.

In the SEC Championship game on Sunday, February 10, Arkansas overcame a one goal deficit by scoring two power play goals in the third period.  The 2-1 victory over the Tide gave the Razorbacks its fourth South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference Playoffs championship in five years.  That first goal was a controversial one.  On a delayed penalty call against the Tide, which turned out to be a ten-minute misconduct, the Razorbacks inadvertently knocked the puck into their own net.  The goal was controversial because a misconduct penalty, when called, results in an immediate stoppage of play rather than, as happened in the game, a delayed penalty.

Fortunately for the Hogs, the erroneous call proved inconsequential.  Trailing 1-0 entering the third period, Forest Mudgett and Marty Sundstedt scored goals two minutes apart and Arkansas held off the Tide throughout the final 6:30 of regulation play.  Kevin Scheer stopped all 25 Alabama shots and was later named tournament MVP for the second straight year.

Sunday’s win was Arkansas’ second consecutive SECHC championship, both at Alabama’s expense in the title game (Arkansas defeated Alabama 8-0 a year ago).  The win also continued the Hogs’ SEC playoff conference winning streak.  Remarkably, the Razorbacks have never lost an SEC playoff game in the four years it has competed in the tournament.

Sunday’s victory improved Arkansas’ record to 29-5-0.  The Razorbacks now await the results of the rankings committee’s vote, which will be released on Friday.  The Hogs have been #1 in the Pacific Region all season long and this most recent trio of wins should solidify its standing.  Arkansas returns home for its final homestand of the 13-14 season when it takes on Division I University of Oklahoma.  The Sooners are the #3 team in the nation at the Division I level and are the only team in the nation to have defeated Arizona State.  The puck drops on Friday at 8:30 pm and on Saturday at 4:00 pm.

On February 7, the Hogs took on the Tennessee IceVols for just the third time in the two programs’ history.  Their prior meetings resulted in two dominant wins by the Razorbacks and Friday night’s result was no different.  Arkansas jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the end of the first frame behind goals from Martin Sundstedt, Johnny Stromp, and Forest Mudgett.  The Hogs added six more in the second period behind markers from, among others, Jansen Polk, Tyler Bynum, Marcel Toure.  The team added four more goals in the third period and cruised to a 13-0 final.  Shots were 60-9 in favor of the Razorbacks.   Spencer Mulgrew earned the shutout in net.

Tonight, on February 8, Arkansas faces a stiffer test in South Carolina—the #3 ranked team in the South Region.  South Carolina enters the contest with an impressive 20-6-2 overall record, featuring wins over Central Florida (#1 South), Alabama (#5 South), Mississippi (#6 South), and UNC-Wilmington (#11 South).  The Gamecocks are led in scoring by Eric Patterson (20 G, 10 A), Kevin Cotrone (13 G, 6 A), and Michael Kochenash (11 G, 14 A).  John Musciano handles the bulk of the goaltending duties for South Carolina.

The puck drops tonight at 7:00 pm CST and it will be audio broadcast live.  The broadcast can be heard online by visiting this link:  www.spreaker.com/show/frozentide or by going to bamahockey.com and clicking on “Broadcast”.  The broadcast will begin five minutes prior to the advertised start time, although the times may be adjusted throughout the tournament due to previous games being played on the same rink.

On Friday, February 7, the Razorbacks will take on the Tennessee Ice Vols in the first round of the SECHC conference playoffs.  The Hogs enter the contest as the #1 seed in the West after having finished with an undefeated regular season conference record.  Sporting a 26-5-0 overall record, the Razorbacks seek to defend the conference title they earned last season by rolling through the 2012-13 tournament field, defeating Vanderbilt in round 1 by a score of 7-1, followed by blowout wins over Florida (7-1) and Alabama (8-0).

For its part, Tennessee earned the first ever SECHC playoff championship in 2008.  They enter this year’s tournament with a 7-15-0 overall record.  The Ice Vols completed their regular season last weekend, notching a 5-4 victory over Vanderbilt.  Tennessee has also earned wins throughout the season over Elon, Georgia Tech, Georgia, and an early season sweep of Palm Beach State College.  The Ice Vols are led in scoring by Jacob Favory, who enters the tournament with seventeen goals.  Mike Mieling and Ben Deepan have split the goaltending duties for Tennessee throughout the season.

The two programs have met just twice before.  Tennessee and Arkansas squared off on October 15, 2010 when the Hogs cruised to a 13-2 victory.  The following season, the two teams met again—this time on January 28, 2012–when Arkansas again dominated Tennessee en route to a 15-1 victory.  The programs have never met in the conference playoffs.

The puck drops tomorrow at 9:30 pm CST at the Pelham Civic Complex.  The Pelham Civic Complex is located at 500 Amphitheater Rd, Pelham, AL 35124.  Daily Ticket Prices, good for all games each day, are as follows:

$10 for adults
$7 for students with student ID
$7 for military (active duty, Guard, Reserve and retired with ID)
Children 5-and-under are admitted free.
$25 for Weekend Pass, good for all games, all 3-days

There are no advanced ticket sales.

2014 SECHC Tournament Broadcast Schedule

Day 1 February 7, 2014

Alabama vs. Vanderbilt 7:00 PM

Auburn vs. Florida 9:45 PM

Day 2 February 8, 2014

5th Place Game 3:15 PM

Semi-Final 1 7:00 PM

Semi-Final 2 9:50 PM

Day 3 February 9, 2014

Third Place Game 11:30 AM

Championship Game 2:30 PM

 

This is the audio broadcast schedule for the 2014 SECHC Tournament in Pelham, AL. The broadcast can be heard online by visiting this link:

www.spreaker.com/show/frozentide or by going to bamahockey.com and clicking on “Broadcast”.

The broadcasts will be led by play-by-play Voice of the Alabama Frozen Tide, Kendall Grayson who broadcasted every home and away game for the team this season. Also on the broadcasts will be Alabama Frozen Tide Color Analysts Taylor Guzy and Patrick Norwood. Kendall and Taylor broadcasted the 2013 SECHC Championship game and Kendall also served as play-by-play broadcaster at the 2013 ACHA Division III National Championship Tournament in Springfield, MO.

*The broadcasts will begin 5 minutes prior to the advertised start time, however the times may be adjusted throughout the tournament due to previous games being played on the same rink. All Times Central

The Razorback Hockey team recently entered into an agreement with the Jones Center for Families, its home rink, to create a permanent lockerroom space for the team.  The team was established in 2007 and, since 2009, it has enjoyed phenomenal success—winning the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference post-season playoff tournament three times and the regular season SEC-West conference championship five times.  In the team’s short history, it has appeared at Nationals (09-10), made three appearances at the South Regional tournament (09-10, 10-11, 12-13), and is consistently ranked in the top ten regionally during the regular season.  To date, the team since 2009 has an overall record of 127-35-2.

As it closes down this 2013-14 regular season, the team finishes with a 26-5-0 record and enters the SEC post-season conference tournament as the #1 seed in the West.  In a season loaded with highlights, the team was—for the first time—ranked #1 in the Pacific Region throughout the year.  Among other highlights, it knocked off a top-10 Division I opponent and was regularly featured in the local media (you might enjoy reviewing a few stories here and here).

We now need your help!  Spread the word and visit https://onlinegiving.uark.edu/ to give! Please put “UREC Ice Hockey Club Locker Room” into the “Specific Department, Program or Fund” field.  If you would like to speak to someone individually about the project, please contact Development Manager Beth Saviers at bsaviers@uark.edu or 469-575-4759 for more information.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aJh7d3UIOw

 

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.