The Razorbacks head out of town tomorrow (February 12) to drive to Irmo, South Carolina for their first-round South Regional match-up against the Christopher Newport University Captains.  The Regional tournament marks the start of national post-season play.  The Hogs must win on both Friday and Saturday in order to earn a spot at Nationals and keep their national post-season alive.  There are 119 teams at the Division III level and the Regional selection process narrows that field to the top forty remaining teams.

Friday’s game against Christopher Newport marks the Hogs’ third appearance in the National post-season.  In 2009-10, the Hogs defeated South Florida and Clemson to earn the program’s only trip to Nationals.  Then, in 2010-11, Arkansas defeated Richmond in the first-round but lost to Florida Atlantic University in the waning minutes of a heart-breaker.  Last season, the Razorbacks did not have the opportunity to compete in the national post-season given their suspension from post-season play by the ACHA.

This season, Arkansas enters the post-season on a ten-game winning streak having closed down the regular season with its fourth consecutive twenty win season and its fourth consecutive regular season SECHC-West conference title.  The team puts that streak on the line against a talented Christopher Newport University team that finished its regular season with 17 wins.  The Captains are led in scoring by Kyle Jahn (24 G, 28 A) and Brandon Finch (14 G, 20 A).  Eric Dumas has backstopped the Captains throughout the season.  Last season, the Captains lost to Alabama in the first round of the South Regional.

Arkansas has never played Christopher Newport.  “We are excited for the opportunity to be back in the post-season,” said Head Coach Brian Gallini. “We know we need to play our best hockey against CNU,” he added.  “They’re a talented hockey team with wins over several quality opponents.”

Face-off on Friday is at 2:30 pm EST at Plex Indoor Sports in Irmo, South Carolina.  Follow the team’s social media pages for real-time updates.

The Arkansas Razorback Men’s Ice Hockey Team (23-8-1) closed down its regular season this past weekend (2/1 & 2/2) by notching two wins against the McKendree University Bearcats.  Before a packed Jones Center crowd on Friday night, the Razorbacks overwhelmed the Bearcats for a full sixty minutes by compiling sixteen total goals.  The team’s doing so marked the most goals scored by the Razorbacks on home ice this season.  The sellout crowd was treated to goals by, among others, Erik Robinson, Justin McDowell, Johnny Stromp, and a hat trick from Mason Brower.  Kevin Scheer earned the victory in goal for Arkansas.

Saturday’s contest, another blowout win–this one 8-0–featured a hat trick from senior Garth Derry and two goals from Martin Sundstedt.  His teammates–Trent Ritchie, James Nemeth and Ryan Machos– each tallied once as the Razorbacks rolled for the second night in a row.  Spencer Mulgrew earned the shutout in net.

The Razorbacks’ February 2 victory marked the end of the regular season and ran the team’s winning streak to ten games (the Hogs have not lost since November of last semester).  The team finished the regular season with twenty-three wins, an undefeated record on home ice, and the program’s fourth consecutive regular season SECHC-West conference title.

Looking ahead, Arkansas travels to Irmo, South Carolina, next week to begin national post-season play.  The Razorbacks will play as the #2 seed in the South Regional and are matched up against the Christopher Newport Captains (17-10-1, #7 seed) at 2:30 pm EST on Friday, February 15.  The two programs have never met.  The Captains are led in scoring by Kyle Jahn (24 G, 28 A) and Brandon Finch (14 G, 20 A).  Eric Dumas has backstopped the Captains to an impressive 15 victories and has logged 1533.08 minutes and a 3.17 GAA in doing so.

Should the Razorbacks win on Friday, they will advance in the tournament and play again on Saturday for a birth to Nationals (i.e., the sweet sixteen).  A loss on either day, however, would end the Hogs’ hopes of a second appearance at Nationals.  Local Razorback fans can watch all the games in the South Regional at Plex Indoor Sports & Ice (1019 Broad Stone Rd, Irmo, SC 29063).  For those who are unable to attend, please follow our social media pages for in-game real-time updates.

Finally, remember that the Razorbacks return to the Jones Center for the final time on March 1 & 2 when they take on the University of Texas-San Antonio (DII).

On Friday and Saturday, February 1 & 2, the Razorbacks (21-8-1, #5 South) take on the McKendree University Bearcats (12-8-0) in a pair of games to close out the regular season.  McKendree and Arkansas have never met, although they do have one opponent–Southern Illinois–in common.  Arkansas played Southern Illinois four times this season and defeated the Cougars in every contest.  McKendree also swept Southern Illinois back in October of 2012 by 7-0 and 4-1 scores.

More telling of McKendree’s talent is their recent impressive split with Division II St. Louis (St. Louis is currently ranked #6 in the Central region at the Division II level) on January 18 & 19.  The Bearcats are led in scoring by Nic Rolla (33 G, 9 A) and Dave Coleman (8 G, 26 A).  Rolla, a member of the ACHA DIII Select team that traveled to Europe over the holidays, also led McKendree in scoring last season.  He continues to perform particularly well for the Bearcats; he potted four goals en route to McKendree’s 8-5 victory over St. Louis on January 19.  Senior Nathan Campo has been in goal every game this season for McKendree.  Campo, who made 47 saves in the win over St. Louis, has a goals-against average of 3.06 with one shutout.

For their part, Arkansas enters the series on an eight game winning streak.  That streak has included wins over Memphis, Southern Illinois, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Alabama and Auburn.  During the streak, the Hogs have outscored their opponents by a cumulative total of 97-8.  Most recently, the Razorbacks played two games before a packed Jones Center crowd against the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on January 25 and 26.  Friday’s 6-2 victory over the Titans secured for the Razorbacks their fourth consecutive twenty win season.  Then, on Saturday, Arkansas cruised to a 12-1 victory over the visiting Titans.  With Alabama’s victory over Ole Miss that same weekend, Arkansas earned its fourth consecutive SECHC-West regular season title.

Game times for both games this Friday and Saturday are 7:30 pm. Tickets are available for sale at the rink on the day of the game. General seating tickets are $8, standing room only is $5, and students with an ID are admitted for $3.  On Friday night, the Ice Hogs welcome the School of Law student body for the third annual “Law School Night at the Rink.”  More detailed ticket information is available here.

The Razorbacks return to the Jones Center for the final time on March 1 & 2 when they take on the University of Texas-San Antonio.

This weekend, on January 25 & 26, the Ice Hogs (19-8-1, #6 South) welcome the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Titans (DII) to the Jones Center for a pair of historic games.  The two contests mark the first ever meetings between the two programs and likewise mark the first time a team from Wisconsin has played a collegiate hockey game in the state of Arkansas.

The Titans, a second year program, are coached by former University of Arkansas Assistant Coach Tom Breunig.  Coach Breunig helped the Razorbacks to a 25-8-0 record back in 2009-10 when he worked primarily with the team’s goaltenders.  Along the way, he aided the team in securing its first conference title and its first appearance at Nationals.

Coach Breunig left the program in 2010 and has served as the Head Coach for the Titans since 2011.  “We are excited to play a quality Division II opponent like the Titans.  We know Coach Breunig is a great coach and that he’ll have his team ready,” Head Coach Brian Gallini said.

The Razorbacks enter the series on a six game winning streak during which they have outscored their opponents by a total of 79-5.  The Titans enter the series having dropped a pair of games last weekend to Marquette.  They will take on Missouri State University (DII) on Thursday night at 7 pm in Springfield, MO, before arriving in town to play the Hogs.

Game times for both games this Friday and Saturday are 7:30 pm. Tickets are available for sale at the rink on the day of the game. General seating tickets are $8, standing room only is $5, and students with an ID are admitted for $3. More detailed ticket information is available here.  The Razorbacks return to the Jones Center on February 1 & 2 when they take on the McKendree University Bearcats.

Finally, before you head to the rink on Friday, check the team’s social media pages to see where the Hogs are ranked in the third rankings (released on Friday before 5 pm).

The SECHC recently released the tournament bracket for this year’s conference playoffs.  This year’s playoffs will take place in Huntsville, AL, from February 22-24.  Daily ticket prices, good for all games each day, are $8 for adults, $5 for students with an ID, and $5 for military (active duty, Guard Reserve and retire with ID).  Children under five are admitted free of charge.

During the tournament, the SECHC we will once again recognize and honor a Wounded Warrior from the local community during our the awards’ night, currently scheduled for February 23rd.  The All-Conference Team and All-Academic teams will also be announced on February 23rd prior to the second semifinal game.

The Ice Hogs are a member of the Western Division of the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference and, at 7-1, are currently projected to seize the #1 West seed in the tournament.  The three-day playoff tournament is structured as follows (all game times CST):

Friday, February 22 (games take place on two different rinks simultaneously)
Quarterfinal #1 – 2 West vs 3 East, 7:10 pm
Quarterfinal #2 – 1 East vs 4 West,  9:50 pm
Quarterfinal #3 – 2 East vs 3 West, 7:00 pm
Quarterfinal #4 – 1 West vs 4 East, 9:40 pm (tentatively when the Razorbacks would play)

Saturday, February 23
7th Place Game – Lowest Losing Seed vs 2nd Lowest Losing Seed, 3:40 pm
5th Place Game – Highest Losing Seed vs 2nd Highest Losing Seed, 3:30 pm
Semi-final # 1 – Winner Quarterfinal #1 vs Winner Quarterfinal #2, 6:10 pm
Semi-final # 2 – Winner Quarterfinal #3 vs Winner Quarterfinal #4, 8:50 pm

Sunday, February 24
3rd Place Game – Loser Semi-final #1 vs Loser Semi-final #2, 11:30 am
Championship Game – Winner Semi-final #1 vs Winner Semi-final #2, 2:30 pm

The Hogs headed to Edwardsville, Illinois, to take on Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in a pair of games to open up the second semester.  The two teams hooked up for a pair of games earlier in the season when the Cougars visited Springdale, AR, back on September 28 and 29 when Razorbacks cruised to 11-0 and 9-0 victories respectively.

The Razorbacks entered the weekend series following a week-long training camp during which the team skated for over a week in preparation for the second semester.  In addition to their on-ice preparation and off-ice ice conditioning workouts, the team also performed substantial community service at the LifeSource food pantry in Fayetteville, AR, the Prairie Grove Senior Center in Prairie Grove, AR, and visited four different Northwest Arkansas Hockey Association youth practices.  The preparation collectively assured that the Hogs’ second meeting with the SIUE Cougars produced results similar to their first meeting.

On Friday night, the Hogs got off to a sluggish two-goal first period start that allowed the Cougars to keep the game within reach.  That period aside, Arkansas had cruised to a 16-1 victory that saw freshman Ryan Machos pot four goals alongside freshman Jansen Polk’s hat trick.  Martin Sundstedt and Chris Green each added a pair of goals.  Spencer Mulgrew earned the victory in net for the Razorbacks.

Saturday produced a similar result as the Razorbacks again overwhelmed the Cougars en route to a 17-1 victory.  Amidst goals by Ryan Machos, Johnny Stromp, Martin Sundstedt, Chris Green, and Mason Brower–among others–defenseman Tucker Campbell finished the evening plus ten.  The two victories pushed the Ice Hogs’ overall record to 19-8-1.  Kevin Scheer earned the victory in goal for Arkansas.

The team is off this coming weekend but returns to the Jones Center on January 25 & 26 to take on Division II opponent University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.  The two games will mark the first meetings between the two teams and the first time a team from Wisconsin has visited the University of Arkansas for a hockey game.

by JIM DAVIS on JANUARY 11, 2013

The biggest question hovering over the Arkansas Razorbacks’ training camp in September was:

Will anyone be able to fill the skates of Brendan Desjardins and give the Hogs a shot at a second trip to the ACHA DIII National Tournament this season?

Desjardins, the Hogs’ No. 1 netminder for three seasons, was one of the best goalies in Division III. The 2011-12 ACHA All-South Region and All-SECHC choice gave Arkansas a chance to win every game he started last season.

But Desjardins graduated in May. Conventional wisdom said there was no way an Arkansas team with Desjardins guarding its goal could be as competitive this season.

Yet, as the Razorbacks are about to begin the second half of their season at Southern Illinois, they’ve won 17 of 26 games, are ranked sixth in the South Region and lead the SECHC West Division with a 7-1-0-0 record. Six of their losses were to DI and DII teams.

To the delight of head coach Brian Gallini and Razorbacks fans, the goalie question has turned out to be a non-issue. Arkansas’ trio of young netminders — sophomores Spencer Mulgrew and Kevin Scheer and freshman Tommy Courtney (left to right in photo) — has been more than up to the task.

Gallini’s strategy for identifying Desjardins’ successor, which called for letting one of the three emerge as No. 1 from the first dozen games on the Hogs’ tough schedule, has played out perfectly.

Scheer earned the nod for his performances in 4-1 and 4-2 road losses to DII Missouri State in October.  Read the rest of the story here.

Arkansas (17-8-1) finished the first semester of play with a convincing sweep of the Memphis Tigers (4-9-0) by outscoring the Tigers 26-1 over the two weekend games.  In Friday’s contest, leading scorer Martin Sundstedt contributed three goals and two assists.  His teammates Johnny Stromp, Nick Fontana, and Ryan Machos each contributed two goals.  The Hogs finished the night with a dominating 13-0 win, and goaltender Tommy Courtney earned the shutout.

Saturday’s contest brought more of the same as the Razorbacks cruised to a 13-1 win.  Garth Derry scored three goals as did Forest Mudgett who also assisted on two others.  Johnny Stromp and Martin Sundstedt were again significant contributors; Johnny potted two goals and assisted on three more while Martin earned five assists.  Ray Herndon scored the Tigers’ lone goal.  Tommy Courtney was again in the cage for the Hogs and earned the victory.

The Razorbacks are now at the midway point in the season and take a break for approximately three weeks before returning to work on January 4.  After a week of winter training camp, the Hogs will travel to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville to take on the Cougars in a pair of games on January 11 & 12.  The Razorbacks return home on 1/25 & 1/26 to take on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (DII).  The two programs have never played one another.

Notably, the team’s seventeen total wins in the first semester ties a team best.  Arkansas also posted seventeen wins in the first semester of the 2010-11 season and came close to that achievement during the 2009-10 season with sixteen first semester victories.

Finally, the second national ranking was released on Friday, December 7, and the Hogs remain the #6 team in the South Region.  You can review all of the rankings here.

On December 7 and 8, 2012, the Ice Hogs (15-8-1, #6 South) take on the Memphis Tigers (4-7-0) in the two teams’ final games of the first semester.  The Tigers are coming off of a dominating win over Mississippi State last Saturday.  The Razorbacks, on the other hand, took two of three last weekend and put themselves in a good position to secure their fourth consecutive SECHC-West conference title.

On Friday, the Ice Hogs took on the Ole Miss Rebels and turned in an uninspired effort en route to a 4-1 loss.  Despite outshooting the Rebels 40-27, the Hogs could not find the back of the net and, instead, regularly found themselves in penalty trouble.  The Rebels opened the scoring in the first period and never looked back.  They led 1-0 after the first period, 2-0 after the second, and won the final frame 2-1.

The Razorbacks channeled their frustration into amassing twenty more goals on the weekend, fifteen of which came on Saturday as the Hogs exploded for a 15-1 victory over the Auburn Tigers.  The Hogs picked up on Sunday morning where Saturday left off by scoring five goals against a talented Alabama team en route to a 5-1 victory.  The three games completed the Razorbacks’ conference play for the season and the two wins ran the team’s conference record to 7-1-0.

From here, the Hogs will have to wait to see if they earn their fourth consecutive regular season title.  Should Ole Miss win its remaining games and also finish 7-1 in conference play (see their schedule here), then Article II(3) of the SEC bylaws would break the tie. It provides the following tie-breakers:

1. Head to head record
2. Divisional wins
3. Overall wins
4. Division goal differential
5. Coin toss

The teams are tied applying tie-breakers one and two.  But, the Razorbacks’ fifteen total wins already (compared to the Rebels’ nine) suggests that tie-breaker three will bring Arkansas its fourth title.

This weekend marks the first time that Arkansas has tangled with the Memphis Tigers.  The Razorbacks will not return to the Jones Center again until January 25 & 26 when they take on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Titans (DII).  Game times for both games this Friday and Saturday are 7:30 pm.  Tickets are available for sale at the rink on the day of the game.  General seating tickets are $8, standing room only is $5, and students with an ID are admitted for $3.  More detailed ticket information is available here.

Finally, before you head to the rink on Friday, check the team’s social media pages to see where the Hogs are ranked in the second rankings (released on Friday before 5 pm).

The Ice Hogs (13-7-1, #6 South) head south this weekend for a trio of games that will determine the SECHC-West regular season conference champion.  Beginning on Friday night, November 30, the Hogs renew their rivalry with the Ole Miss Rebels (7-8-0, #12 South).  In their last meeting, the Razorbacks defeated the Rebels 4-1 in Olive Branch by breaking open a 1-1 tie entering in the third period with three unanswered goals.  Since their last meeting, Ole Miss has gone 2-1 with victories over Georgia Tech and Florida State and a lopsided 9-4 loss to Florida Gulf Coast.  The puck drops at 6:00 pm CST in Tupelo, MS, at the BancorpSouth Arena.

Then, on Saturday afternoon, the Hogs take on the Auburn Tigers (3-10-0) at 4:15 pm at the Mid-South Ice House in Olive Branch, MS.  In the two teams’ last meeting, the Razorbacks defeated the Tigers by a score of 10-2.  In five total meetings between the two teams, the Ice Hogs have outscored the Tigers by a cumulative score of 53-3.  The Tigers have not played any additional games since their last meeting with Arkansas on November 11.

The weekend saves the best for last when Arkansas takes on the University of Alabama (6-6-1, #9 South) at 10 am in Olive Branch.  Arkansas took the first game between the two teams on November 10 by a score of 6-1.  That game, played before a large hostile pro-Alabama crowd, stayed tight through two periods.  With the score tied 1-1 entering the third, the Hogs exploded for five unanswered goals.  Since that game, Alabama has gone 2-1-0 and earned an impressive victory over the #4 team in the South Region — the University of Miami — in the process.

This weekend marks the close of the regular season for SECHC conference games.  The Ice Hogs enter the weekend 5-0-0 in the SECHC and, should they sweep the weekend, the Razorbacks would earn their fourth consecutive regular season SECHC-West conference title.  “We’re just excited for the opportunity,” said Assistant Coach Collin Hesse.  “We’ve been working hard all season and it’s weekends like this one where we hope to see it pay off,” he added.