Category: Stories

Arkansas sweeps Route 66 Showcase; ready for Military Appreciation Night

The #1-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks (20-1-0) won all three games this past weekend at the Route 66 Showcase in Springfield, MO. The weekend started against Washington University of St. Louis (2-11-0) Friday night. Zach Riley got things started with a Razorback goal, followed by two goals from Evan Kerr to give the Hogs a three-goal lead after one period. WashU scored their first goal of the game to start the second period, but Cameron McAtee scored two goals, Zach Riley scored his second of the contest, and Zach Wilson scored as well to give the Hogs a 7-1 lead at the end of the second period. The third period was more of the same, as Grant Fletcher, Alex Kueser, Brendan Bomay, Jordan Deskeere, and Jake Sharrer each scored. WashU got one more before Evan Kerr would complete his hat trick, giving the Hogs a 13-2 victory. Goalie Bobby Rea secured his second win of the season with 13 saves on 15 shots.

Saturday the Hogs faced off against the University of New Mexico (4-9-0). The first period was all Hogs, as they jumped out a 4-0 lead on goals from Zach Wilson, Tyler Valdron, Grant Deacon, and Alex Kueser. The second period started similarly as Trevor McLain scored and Kueser scored his second of the game. New Mexico scored midway through the second period, but the Hogs came back with five goals in five minutes to stretch their lead to 11-1 after two periods. Those goals came from Michael Ellis, Zach Riley, Cameron McAtee, Zach Wilson, and Kueser, completing his hat trick. In the third period Evan Kerr and Griffin Sugasawara scored, and Zach Wilson notched his third of the afternoon to give Arkansas the 14-1 win. Alex Kalmes stopped 16 of 17 shots for his ninth win of the season.

Sunday the Hogs needed to win by a goal differential of five or more over Colorado School of Mines (3-4-3) in order to clinch the Route 66 trophy. Despite putting up twenty shots on net, Arkansas struggled to hit the back of the net, leading just 1-0 after the first period on a power play goal from Grant Deacon. The Hogs controlled the second period, however, as Alex Kueser scored two goals and Evan Kerr and Zach Wilson notched one goal each for the 5-0 lead heading into the third period. The Razorbacks held nothing back, giving up just one shot on net and scoring five more goals in the final period. This time it was all defensemen scoring; Shaun Foster, Alex Deguire, Kevin Laplante, Cameron McAtee, and Jordan Deskeere each got a goal to give Arkansas the 10-0 win. Jozef Dusenka stopped all nine shots to secure his tenth win of the season and the Hogs’ first shutout of the season.

This weekend, Arkansas will welcome Washington University of St. Louis to The Jones Center on Friday, November 15 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, November 16 at 3:05 pm. Friday’s game will be Military Appreciation Night as the University of Arkansas Air Force ROTC will be in attendance and Cadet Colonel Wade Gerlick will drop the ceremonial first puck. Admission will also be free for all veterans and there will be a raffle for a game-worn, team-autographed jersey. All proceeds of the raffle will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project, which offers programs and services to wounded veterans.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference. The 2019-20 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be found here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

Razorbacks ready for Route 66 Showcase

This weekend the Arkansas Razorbacks (17-1-0) will  head to Springfield, MO for the Route 66 Showcase, hosted by Missouri State University. The Hogs will take on Pacific Region opponents Washington University of St. Louis (2-8-0), University of New Mexico (4-6-0), and Colorado School of Mines (3-1-2). This weekend will be the first meeting for the Hogs with each of these three schools. Last year, Arkansas went 1-1-1 at the same showcase against Kansas, Nebraska, and Wisconsin-Platteville.

Arkansas will face Washington University at 1:00 pm on Friday, November 8. This game will preview what fans will see at The Jones Center on November 15 & 16, as Washington University will pay a visit for a two-game series. On Saturday, November 9, Arkansas will battle the University of New Mexico at 4:00 pm. The weekend will wrap up against Colorado School of Mines at 11:30 am on Sunday, November 10. This weekend is particularly important because these will also be the final games before the first rankings of the season are released.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference. The 2019-20 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be found here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

Razorbacks sweep Rocket City Collegiate Showcase

The Arkansas Razorbacks (17-1-0) won all three games of the Rocket City Collegiate Showcase this past weekend in Huntsville, AL. Game one of the showcase pitted the Hogs against arch-rival Alabama (4-3-0) on Friday night, and Arkansas jumped out to a 3-0 lead after just one period. Alex Kueser opened the scoring, followed by goals from Trevor McLain and Shaun Foster. Alabama scored their first goal of the evening, but Griffin Sugasawara answered back to give the Hogs a 4-1 lead heading into the second frame. McLain notched his second and third goals of the evening in the second period, giving Arkansas a 6-1 lead and earning him a hat trick in four consecutive games. Entering the third period, the Hogs continued to batter Alabama, scoring five more goals to secure the 11-1 victory. Evan Kerr recorded two goals and Chris Stovall, Tyler Valdron, and Alex Kueser each recorded a goal in the third period. Jozef Dusenka recorded twelve saves on thirteen shots for his eighth win of the season.

Saturday would see the Hogs face off against the Georgia Bulldogs (7-4-1). Georgia jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Hogs came back to tie the game with goals from Alex Deguire and Alex Kueser. Georgia scored the only goal of the second period, earning them a 3-2 lead heading into the final period. That lead would not last long, as Zach Wilson tied the game on the power play just forty-five seconds into the third period. Chris Stovall scored the game-winner with just over five minutes left in the game to give the Razorbacks a 4-3 win. Alex Kalmes came up big in net, stopping 26 of 29 shots and killing off multiple penalties in the final minutes of the game. He earned his eigth win of the season.

The final game for the Hogs on Sunday morning came against the Florida Gators (5-5-0). Zach Wilson opened the scoring with the lone goal of the first period. Dylan Odelein scored the Hogs’ second goal just sixteen seconds into the first period, giving Arkansas the 2-0 lead heading into the third period. Florida scored with four minutes remaining in the regulation to cut the Razorback lead in half, but Arkansas stood tall in the final minutes to secure the 2-1 victory. Jozef Dusenka turned away 35 of 36 shots for his ninth win of the season.

The Razorbacks are off this weekend before making the short drive to Springfield, MO for the Route 66 Showcase November 6th– 8th. While there, they will face three Pacific Region rivals, including Washington University of St. Louis (2-6-0), University of New Mexico (4-6-0), and Colorado School of Mines (3-1-2).

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference. The 2019-20 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be found here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

Razorbacks take three of four in Michigan, look for more wins in Huntsville

This past weekend, the Razorbacks (14-1-0) traveled to Michigan to play four games in four days against the University of Michigan (4-0-0), Oakland University (5-4-1), and Grand Valley State University (6-4-0). The Ice Hogs opened the trip on Saturday against Michigan. Michigan would score one goal in the 1st period, two goals in the 2nd period, and three goals in 3rd period en route to a 6-0 win and the Hogs’ first loss of the season. Jozef Dusenka saved 31 of 37 shots in the loss.

On Sunday, Arkansas would face off against Oakland University. The Razorbacks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the 1st period on goals from Evan Kerr, Chris Stovall, and Chris Salmon. Oakland added a goal of their own before Tyler Valdron scored in the last minute of the period to give the Hogs a 4-1 lead after one period. Oakland opened the scoring in the second period before Alex Kueser  scored the Razorback’s 5th goal of the game. Oakland would answer back with two goals to cut the Hogs’ lead to 5-4 entering the third period.

Halfway through the 3rd period, Evan Kerr tallied his second goal of the game to put Arkansas up 6-4, but Oakland tied the game on two goals late in the third period to send the game to overtime. The Razorbacks ended the game quickly as Kerr scored the game-winning goal to complete his hat trick, racking up five points on the game and sending the Hogs to a 7-6 victory. Alex Kalmes stopped 40 of 46 shots to earn his seventh win of the season.

Following a short drive across the state to Grand Rapids, the Hogs faced defending national runner-up Grand Valley State. Both teams would trade goals in the first period, with Trevor McLain scoring the Razorbacks’ goal. Alex Kueser and Zach Wilson put the Hogs back in front before GVSU cut the Hog lead to 3-2 at the end of the second period. GVSU tied the game at 3 early in the third period. Both teams traded goals again, with Tyler Valdron netting the Hogs fourth goal of the contest. Captain Alex Kueser then came up clutch, scoring the Hogs’ fifth and sixth goals of the game in the final five minutes, giving Kueser a hat trick and the Razorbacks the 6-4 win. Jozef Dusenka stopped 38 of 42 for his seventh win of the season.

Arkansas rounded out the 4-game road trip on Tuesday with a rematch against GVSU. The Razorbacks would put three goals up in the first period from Tyler Valdron, Brendan Bomay, and Evan Kerr. GVSU would get their only goal of the contest in the second period, but Alex Kueser gave the Hogs a 4-1 lead heading into the final period. The third period was all Arkansas, as they put up six goals and produced a final 10-1 win. Griffin Sugasawara scored three goals, notching the Hogs’ third hat trick of the weekend. Trevor McLain and Dyaln Odelein also scored, and Kyle Patterson got his first goal as a Razorback. Alex Kalmes turned away 26 of 27 shots to complete his eighth win of the season.

This weekend the Ice Hogs hit the road once again, bound for Huntsville, AL to face off against three rivals as part of the Rocket City Collegiate Hockey Showcase. The Razorbacks will take on Alabama (2-1-1) on Friday at 6:30 pm, followed by Georgia (5-4-0) on Saturday at 1:00 pm, and Florida (3-4-0) on Sunday at 9:00 am. All-time in the Division III era, the Razorbacks are 14-5-1 against Alabama, 3-4 against Georgia, and 8-2 against Florida. Broadcast information of the games is available here.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference. The 2019-20 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be found here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

Razorbacks keep winning; prepared for Michigan road trip

This past weekend the Razorbacks (11-0-0) defended home ice and maintained an undefeated record in front of great crowds, notching two victories over rival Missouri State (2-2-0). Arkansas, wearing pink in support of breast cancer awareness, would strike first Friday night with a goal from captain Alex Kueser. Missouri State came back with a goal of their own to tie the game at one goal apiece after one period. The Ice Hogs would strike back early in the second period on a goal from Zach Riley. Assistant captain Chris Stovall then contributed 2 goals in a span of 4 minutes, giving Arkansas a 4-1 lead entering the final period. The Ice Hogs kept pushing in the third; Stovall added his third goal of the contest and Griffin Sugasawara scored 2 goals of his own, sending the Razorbacks to a 7-1 win. Jozef Dusenka racked up 23 saves on 24 shots to collect his fifth win of the season.

Fans at The Jones Center on Saturday afternoon would see much of the same as the Razorbacks jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first period. Assistant captain Shaun Foster, Zach Wilson, Jordan Deskeere, and Chris Stovall each scored en route to a dominant first frame. Missouri State responded with a goal of their own in the second period, before Brendan Bomay restored the four goal lead in the last minute of the period. Cameron McAtee and Evan Kerr each added a goal in the final period to give the Hogs their second 7-1 victory in as many nights. Goalie Alex Kalmes stopped 27 of 28 shots for his fifth win of the season.

This coming weekend will see the Razorbacks head off to Michigan for 4 games in 4 days. The trip begins on Saturday, October 19th against the University of Michigan (faceoff at 6pm CST), followed by Oakland University on Sunday the 20th (faceoff at 1pm CST). The trip rounds out with two games at Grand Valley State University on Monday (7pm CST faceoff) and Tuesday  (11am CST faceoff). The Hogs have never faced off against Michigan or Oakland, but own a 3-1 record against GVSU having last made the trek north during the 2012-13 season.

All three opponents qualified for last year’s National Tournament, with Michigan and GVSU advancing to the semi-finals and GVSU finishing as a National Runner-up. The Hogs will look to remain strong on both defense and offense, having averaged just 1.9 goals against in 11 games and a team save percentage of .920, along with averaging 7.3 goals for per game.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference. The 2019-20 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be found here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

Razorbacks set to host Pink the Rink weekend against Missouri State

The Razorbacks (9-0-0) return home this weekend for a set of two games against Pacific Region rival Missouri State Ice Bears (2-0-0). The rivalry with Missouri State goes back 11 seasons in the Division III era, with the Hogs owning a lifetime record of 21-11 over 32 games. In 4 games last season, both teams held their own on home ice, splitting the series 2-2.

The Razorbacks come off a bye weekend ready to get back on home ice after three weeks away. The Ice Hogs boast a flawless 9-0 record and have outscored opponents 67-19 thus far. This weekend begins an important run of 9 games in 17 days for Arkansas, with the first rankings of the season to be released shortly thereafter. The depth of the Razorbacks has shown early in the season; twenty-two different players have recorded a goal.

The Hogs will also be hosting ‘Pink the Rink’ weekend in an effort to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. During both games, players will be sporting pink socks, tape, and laces and fans are encouraged to wear pink as well in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Both games will also feature a raffle for a game-worn jersey signed by the team and fans can purchase $5 raffle tickets at the door. Puck drop for Friday, October 10 is scheduled for 7:30 pm, while Saturday, October 11 is scheduled for 3:05 pm. Both games are at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR and adults are $5, students with ID are $3, and children under 12 are free.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference. The 2019-20 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be found here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

Arkansas caps off an undefeated September

The Razorbacks (9-0-0) swept a three-game Nashville road trip to maintain their undefeated record this past weekend. Game one on Friday night against Vanderbilt (1-2-0) would be a slow start for the Ice Hogs, as Vandy would score the first goal, before Dakota Gottlieb tied the game at 1 to end the first period. The Razorbacks came out firing after the intermission and rattled off six goals in the second period and six goals in the third period to take Friday’s game 13-1. Gottlieb would add his second goal of the game while Evan Kerr and Brendan Bomay would get two goals each. Chris Stovall, Dylan Odelein, Jordan Deskeere, Griffin Sugasawara, Michael Ellis, Shaun Foster, and Collin O’Mahoney would all notch one goal, with O’Mahoney getting his first as a Razorback. Jozef Dusenka stopped 29 of 30 shots to collect his fourth win of the season.

The Ice Hogs were back Saturday night to face-off against Middle Tennessee State University (1-6-0) in the second game of the weekend. Arkansas wasted no time, scoring six goals in the first period. Alex Kueser, Zach Riley, Nick Valentini, Cameron McAtee, Dakota Gottlieb, and Grant Deacon all scored goals in the first. Alex Kueser got his second of the game to start the second period, and Jake Sharrer would get his first goal of the season to boost the Razorback lead to 8-0 going into the final period. MTSU would put a damper on the Hogs shutout hopes with a power play goal early in the third. Arkansas bounced back, with Grant Fletcher getting his first goal as a Razorback and Michael Eliis pushing the Hogs into double digits, putting the finishing touches on a 10-1 victory. In his first start as a Razorback, freshman goalie Bobby Rea earned his first win, stopping 15 of 16 shots.

Arkansas finished off the weekend with a Sunday matinee against Vanderbilt. Both teams traded one goal each in the first period, with Tyler Valdron scoring the Hogs’ first goal of the game. Griffin Sugasawara and Trevor McLain scored early in the second period to give the Razorbacks a 3-1 lead before Vanderbilt rebounded with two goals of their own to tie the game. The Razorbacks stormed back to score three goals in just 2:12. Collin O’Mahoney and Chris Stovall scored and McLain got his second of the game to give Arkansas a 6-3 lead entering the third period. The final period was a scoreless stalemate, giving the Ice Hogs a 6-3 victory and the 3-game sweep on the weekend. Alex Kalmes saved 19 of 22 shots to collect his fourth win of the season.

The Ice Hogs are off this weekend for the first time this season. The Razorbacks recorded 29 goals in 3 games this weekend, and just nine games into the season, 22 different players have scored for the Razorbacks. Following the bye week, the Razorbacks will return to The Jones Center on Friday, October 11th and Saturday, October 12th for two games against rival Missouri State (2-0-0).

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference. The 2019-20 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be found here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

Razorbacks remain undefeated; headed to Nashville for first road test

The Razorbacks (6-0-0) increased their win streak to six games after besting Pacific Region rival Kansas (2-2-0) twice this past weekend to remain undefeated. On Friday night, Kansas jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before Evan Kerr, Cameron McAtee, and Alex Kueser would score for Arkansas in the final nine minutes of the first period. Kansas would tie the game 3-3 early in the 2nd period, but Arkansas retook the lead on a goal by Chris Salmon. Starting the 3rd period with a narrow 4-3 lead, the Ice Hogs would put the game away thanks to goals by Chris Stovall and Evan Kerr. The final score of game one was 6-3. Goaltender Jozef Dusenka earned his third win in as many starts, saving 22 of 25 shots.
Saturday the Hogs looked to complete the sweep. The first period saw a defensive battle as Kansas held the lead 1-0 after twenty minutes. But the flood gates opened in the 2nd period as the Hogs scored four goals in the first nine minutes of the period. Zach Wilson collected two goals, Trevor McLain scored a shorthanded goal, and Alex Kueser added one as well. Kansas came back to score two goals of their own, but Chris Stovall scored off a rebound and Shaun Foster recorded his first goal as a Razorback. Those offensive efforts gave the Hogs a 6-3 lead headed to the final period. In the third period, Chris Salmon scored the seventh and final goal for the Razorbacks, finishing off a 7-3 victory and the sweep. Alex Kalmes also collected his third win of the season, turning away 26 of 29 shots.
This week the Razorbacks hit the road for the first time this season to take on Vanderbilt (1-0-0) on Friday, Middle Tennessee State University (1-1-0) on Saturday, and Vanderbilt once more on Sunday. These will be the first SECHC games of the season for the Hogs. In fifteen games against Vanderbilt all-time, the Hogs own a 13-2 series record and have outscored the Commodores 69-37. Arkansas has never faced off against MTSU. This season marks the first with MTSU as a member of the SECHC.
The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference. The 2019-20 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be found here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.

Razorbacks sweep Nebraska; Kansas up next

The Razorbacks (4-0-0) stayed undefeated this past weekend, sweeping both home games against the Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-2-0). The Ice Hogs started slow on Friday night, giving up two goals just eight minutes into the first period. Arkansas would bounce back quickly thanks to goals from Trevor McLain and Zach Wilson. The first period ended tied at 2-2. Nebraska would get another goal early in the second period, but that would be their last lead of the game, as the Ice Hogs rattled off three goals to finish the second period ahead 5-3. Goals in that period came from Chris Stovall, Griffin Sugasawara, and Evan Kerr. Cameron McAtee would seal the deal with a power play goal in the final frame to give Arkansas the 6-3 win. Jozef Dusenka collected the win in goal, saving 18 of 21 shots and notching his second win of the young season.

The Razorbacks would pick up Saturday right where they left off, getting two goals late in the first period from Cameron McAtee and Griffin Sugasawara. Zach Wilson added another goal just 53 seconds into the second period. The Cornhuskers clawed their way back and got two goals of their own before the end of the second period, shrinking the Hogs’ lead to 3-2 going into the final period. But Arkansas added two more goals in the third period thanks to contributions from Grant Deacon and Chris Salmon. A 5-2 final gave Alex Kalmes, who stopped 24 of 26 shots, his second win in net.

This weekend, the Razorbacks tangle with the Kansas Jayhawks at home at The Jones Center in Springdale, AR. The two teams have met 23 times overall and Kansas holds a 12-11 series advantage. Kansas and Arkansas have been bitter Pacific Region rivals as of late, with 15 of those contests coming in just the past 4 seasons.

Puck drop for this weekend’s games are Friday at 7:30 pm and Saturday at 3:05 pm.

Hogs sweep DII Dallas Baptist; look for revenge against Nebraska

The Razorbacks (2-0-0) swept Dallas Baptist University (0-2-0) this past weekend by a score of 7-1 on Friday and 7-2 on Saturday. On Friday night, the Hogs opened up the season in front of a packed house at The Jones Center by getting out to an early lead thanks to an unassisted goal from Cameron McAtee just 23 seconds into the game. The Hogs would triple the lead by the end of the first period on goals from Dakota Gottlieb and Trevor McLain. After conceding a goal early in the 2nd period, the Hogs would go back to work by putting up 3 more goals before the end of the second frame. McAtee would collect his second of the night, and Chris Stovall and Tyler Valdron add their first of the evening. With 6:25 remaining in the contest, freshman F-Brendan Bomay would score the first of his collegiate career, bringing the final score to 7-1.

Saturday night the Hogs came in looking for the sweep. The first period was all Hogs as they put up five goals in a thirteen minute span. Goals came from Dylan Odelein, Chris Salmon, Zach Riley, Chris Stovall, and freshman Michael Ellis getting his first as a Hog. Zach Riley would add his second of the game in the second period, bringing the Hogs lead to 6-0. DBU would get 2 goals of their own to start the 3rd period before Tyler Valdron would give the Hogs their seventh and final goal of the game.

This weekend the Hogs square off against Pacific Region rival Nebraska on Friday at 7:30 pm and Saturday at 3:05 pm at The Jones Center. The Hogs are looking for another sweep and revenge against Nebraska after the Huskers ended the Razorbacks’ 2018-19 season–leaving Arkansas just one game shy of the National Tournament. The Hogs are 5-7-0 all-time against Nebraska.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference. The 2019-20 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be found here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.