FAYETTEVILLE, Ark- The 2011-2012 season for the Arkansas Razorbacks is now in the books with a successful 22-6-0 record, and many of the players were recognized for their on-ice efforts, as well as a few for their off-ice efforts.

Goaltenders Brendan Desjardins and Nick Jabs as well as forward Garth Derry were named to the SECHC All-Academic team.

Brendan Desjardins was also named to the third-team All-South Region of the ACHA and the first-team All-SECHC.

Justin Gaddy and Easton Oliver were named to the third-team All-SECHC.

The Ice Hogs will be well represented on the SECHC All-Star team which will play in April in Philadelphia, the Arkansas players that will be there are: Brendan Desjardins, Justin McDowell, Justin Gaddy, Matin Sundstedt, Clay Kasten, and Easton Oliver.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark- The following quote was given by the Razorback Hockey Team via their Facebook page, “We have elected to voluntarily withdraw ourselves from participation in the SECHC playoffs. We respect the DIII Commissioner’s ruling to suspend us from the post-season and the ACHA Rules Committee’s decision to uphold that suspension. Our program at its core teaches honesty, ethical behavior, accountability, responsibility, and trustworthiness; we do not think it consistent with those values to participate in SECHC post-season play while suspended. We thank our fans, our seniors, and the SECHC for their support. We are already looking forward to a fresh start next season.”

It’s a shame for what has happened in the past week, but you live and you learn, and all you can do is look forward to what the next season has to bring.

Although the past week has brought a lot of turmoil, we can’t let it overshadow what the Ice Hogs have done this season, it was most definitely one to remember. Razorback Hockey was in route in for a third straight South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference Title, and they were going to potentially be the first team in conference history to get an automatic bid to the National Tournament, as well as be legitimate contenders for a National Title.

The Hogs opened up their season with a true test against D1 Oklahoma, but fell by a score of 7-3. Arkansas used that game as a great learning experience for the rest season.

Following big wins over Missouri State D3 and Auburn, as well as 2 losses to Lindenwood University, the Razorbacks were set to face Grand Valley State University, a native Michigan team. This would be the first time a Michigan team has ever came to play a southern team, this was seen as the biggest two games in the programs history at the time.

The Hogs fell 3-1 in the first game, but bounced back to win game two 6-5 in a dramatic 8 round shootout.

Arkansas lost their first and only conference game to Ole Miss on Novemeber 12th, but never lost a game since then.

During the 13 game win streak the Hogs put together, they saw the biggest wins the program has ever seen. First by beating the University of North Texas twice who was 22-1-0 at the time, followed by a win over the University of Central Florida who ranked 2nd in the southern region, and finally the two wins against rival Alabama for the top spot in the west.

The Ice Hogs finished with a record of 22-6-0, and 9-1 in the SECHC.

Martin Sundstedt led the team in goals and assists with 23 apiece, and a leading point total of 46.

Brendan Desjardins finished with a 12-5-0 record along with a 2.79 GAA and an 0.88 Save Percentage.

Next season is sure to be another exiting one given all the young guys the team has, but according to Head Coach Brian Gallini, the off-season workouts is what really has to be taken care of in order to keep the core group together and transfer in to success next season.

This season had its fare share of ups and downs for the Razorbacks, but it was undoubtedly a season to remember.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark- The winner-take-all showdown between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Alabama Crimson Tide took place Saturday night in front of a packed Jones Center in Springdale, Arkansas.

The winner of this game would take the top seed in the SECHC West Division. Arkansas was looking to complete a 3-peat as regular season West Division champions, while Alabama was looking to win it’s first West Division title since the 2008-2009 season.

It was Senior Night for Arkansas as goaltender Brendan Desjardins and forwards Garth Derry and Justin Gaddy would play their final games as Arkansas Razorbacks, and what a way it was to finish in front of the largest crowd the Razorbacks have ever seen at the Jones Center.

The first period got off to a good start for each team as the energy ran high, but the Ice Hogs struck first with 9:50 left to play in the period when Billy Dolan scored his first of two goals, giving the Razorbacks an early 1-0 lead at the end of the first period.

Alabama tied the game back up in the second period off a shot from Brandon Butler 2:24 in, but Martin Sundstedt of the Razorbacks took back the lead with 3:27 left in the second frame, leaving the score at 2-1 in favor of Arkansas heading in to what would be an exciting third period.

Billy Dolan extended the Ice Hog lead with his second goal of the game 3:54 in to the period, but with 8:28 left to play in the game, Clay Link of Alabama scored to inch the Tide closer to tying the game back.

As the clock ticked down Alabama came full force on the Razorbacks, giving it all they had, but Brendan Desjardins wouldn’t let anything through, securing a 3-2 victory for Arkansas, and their third straight West Division title.

Not only did tonight’s win for Arkansas give them their third West title, but it also gave them the opportunity to receive an automatic bid in to the National Tournament March 14th-17th. No SECHC team has ever gotten an automatic bid to the National Tournament.

The Hogs will also look to win their third straight SECHC Conference Championship February 24th-26th in Columbus, Georgia.

Saturday night’s game will be aired Sunday night at 7:00 pm on UATV, you can find the game at uatvonline.net.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark- The Arkansas Razorbacks faced off against the Alabama Crimson Tide Friday night in the first of two games this weekend to wrap up regular season play.

Riding a two goal performance from Martin Sundstedt, the Ice Hogs topped the Tide by a score of 4-2.

Arkansas opened up the scoring 6:02 in to the game off the stick of Junior defenseman Clay Kasten, and Martin Sundstedt would get his first goal with 9:11 left to play in the first, giving the Hogs a 2-0 lead heading in to the second period.

Sundstedt picked up where he left off 6:15 in to the second frame by grabbing his second goal of the game, but Alabama fought back with a goal of their own from Zach Dailey 9:48 in. Easton Oliver answered the Tide goal just a couple minutes later, but Alabama’s Mark Wysock had answer for the Hog goal as well with 5:19 left to play in the period, leaving the score at 4-2 in favor of Arkansas.

Brendan Desjardins kept the Tide at bay with a shutout third period to secure the Razorback victory.

Arkansas and Alabama are now tied at 16 points a piece in the SECHC, making tomorrow nights game a winner take all game for the #1 spot in the west division.

Tomorrow nights game will also be aired by UATV (University of Arkansas Television). You can find UATV on channel 214 of Cox Digital Cable or on their 24/7 stream at uatvonline.net. The game will be re-aired Sunday night at 7:00 pm.

Be sure to join us at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale, Arkansas for what is sure to be a thriller. Tickets are $6 for adults, $2 for students, and free for children under the age of 10.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark- The South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference held their annual showcase this weekend in Pelham, Alabama and the Ice Hogs of Arkansas came away from it with 3 wins and no loses.

On Friday night the Razorbacks played their first game of the weekend against the east’s top seed Florida where they would come away with a 6-1 win.

4 minutes in to the game Johnny Stromp scored to give the Hogs an early lead, and one minute later Billy Dolan added to it. With 8:20 left to play in the first period, Justin McDowell scored his first goal of the game and got his second 4 minutes later giving Arkansas a comfortable 4-0 lead at the end of the first.

5:03 in to the second period the Gators got on the board with a goal from Michael Jugon, but Ryan Holloway of the Razorbacks would have an answer for that though 2 minutes later leaving the score at 5-1 heading in to the third period.

Brendan Desjardins would stay sharp between the pipes for the rest of the game and Martin Sundstedt would add one more goal to the Ice Hog total finalizing the score at 6-1.

Saturday afternoon Arkansas faced Tennessee where they ran wild on the Volunteers, beating them by a score of 15-1.

Justin McDowell opened the scoring with his first goal of the game 2:44 in followed by Trent Ritchie’s first goal of the game just a couple minutes later. Halfway through the first period Johnny Stromp added to the Hog goal total with 7:24 left in the period Marcel Toure scored leaving the first period at a 4-0 lead for the Hogs.

Marcel Toure picked up where he left off in the second period scoring his second goal of the game 1:12 in to the second period and just 30 seconds later Justin McDowell grabbed his second goal of the game. Kasey Womble got himself on the board 5:05 in to the second and so did Martin Sundstedt with 6:51 left to play in the period. Ross Miller netted on before the period was over and so did Justin Gaddy with 42 seconds left in the second giving the Ice Hogs a 10-0 lead heading in to the third.

4:34 in to the third period Trent Ritchie scored his second goal of the game followed by a goal from Easton Oliver and one from Michael Kress, but the Vols wouldn’t be shut out in this game as they snuck one past Kevin Sheer. The hat trick would be completed by Trent Ritchie with 4:45 left in the game and Bryce Derry finished out the scoring for the Razorbacks, leaving the final at 15-1 in favor of Arkansas.

Sunday afternoon would see the Razorbacks biggest game of the season as the faced the #2 ranked Central Florida Knights.

The Ice Hogs would strike first with 7:35 left to play in the first period with goal from Martin Sundstedt, but Josh Drazin of the Knights answered with 2:45 left in the first leaving the score all tied up at 1 at the end of the first period.

Halfway through the second period Trent Ritchie gave the Razorbacks another lead, but once again Central Florida would tie it back up, this time from Jeremy Roberts. Easton Oliver grabbed the lead right back for the Razorbacks one minute later and Justin Gaddy added one more to the Arkansas lead before the period was over giving the Hogs a 4-2 lead heading in to the third.

4:30 in to the third period Justin McDowell scored to extend the Razorback lead. Nick Parise scored for the Knights in an effort to get back in the game, but Brendan Desjardins kept it from happening, securing the Razorbacks biggest win of the season with a 5-3 victory of Central Florida.

Next weekend the Alabama Frozen Tide will make a trip to Springdale, Arkansas to face the Razorbacks in a weekend that will determine the conference’s top seed. The Tide is currently sitting atop the SECHC with 16 points while the Razorbacks are at a close second with 14 points, and riding on a 9 game win streak.

Be sure to come out and help pack the Jones Center for Families in Springdale, Arkansas Friday February 3^rd and Saturday February 4^th, tickets are $6 for adults, $2 for students and free for children under the age of 10.

The SECHC has accepted the challenge from the ACHA to participate in the ACHA D3 All-Star Challenge March 30th – April 1st:

In order to offset the cost to individual players and the SECHC, we are asking for donations to help fund the cost of airfare to Philadelphia and for lodging, uniforms and transportation upon arrival.

Your $10 donation, or more will be greatly appreciated! We will be happy to send you the new SECHC logo patch that the players will wear on their All-Star jerseys. This cloth patch can also be easily sewn on hats, jackets, polo shirts, etc. Every donor will have their name included on the “Friends of the SECHC” donor page that will be established soon.

To make a donation, click on the donate button below or send a check to the address listed below.

All checks should be mailed to:

Sarge Day
Commissioner, SECHC
3640 South Fulton Ave
Suite # 1516
Atlanta, GA 30354

Please make sure to include your return address in order for us to mail your patch or patches.

We will be happy to talk to you if your business is interested in a larger donation. We are looking for a major sponsor for the team’s jerseys.

DALLAS, Tx- The Arkansas Razorbacks came in to Dallas, Texas this weekend to face the University of North Texas (D2) and to kick off the second semester of the season.

Both games were held at the Dr. Pepper Stars Center in Farmers Branch, January 13th at 8:45 and January 14th at 9:30.

The Mean Green Eagles of North Texas came in to the game with a 22-1-0 record and the #13 ranking in the D2 west, while the Razorbacks of Arkansas held a 13-6-0 and a #4 ranking in the DIII south.

Game one consisted of solid goaltending by Brendan Desjardins and high scoring from the Razorback offense.

The first period saw no goals, but in the second , the Ice Hogs scored three goals from three different players, Easton Oliver, Johnny Stromp, and Marcel Toure, giving Arkansas a solid 3-0 lead heading in to the third.

Billy Dolan extended the lead to 4 goals in the third period, but the Eagles answered with a goal of their own, preventing the Razorback shutout. Martin Sundstedt scored the final goal of the game, leaving the final score at 5-1 in favor of Arkansas.

Game two of the weekend series saw a much tougher game for the Razorbacks as the Eagles were determined to not be swept.

30 seconds in to the game UNT got on the board but Connor Crumblish quickly answered with an Arkansas goal. Martin Sundstedt would give the Ice Hogs the lead later in the period, but a minute after he scored, UNT tied it back up, and 12 seconds later took the lead, giving the Eagles a 3-2 lead heading into the second.

7:13 in to the 2nd period Billy Dolan tied it back up for the Razorbacks and it would be the only goal the period would see.

It only took 1:52 in to the third period for UNT to regain their lead, but with 9:14 left, Johnny Stromp tied it right back up at 4 apiece. Connor Crumblish grabbed his 2nd goal of the night with 5:08 left in the game to give Arkansas a 5-4 lead. With a minute left UNT pulled their goalie to try and tie the game back up, but Brendan Desjardins and the Ice Hogs kept the puck out of their net to win the game 5-4 and sweep the weekend series.

Be sure to join the Ice Hogs as they return home to face Tulane University at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale, Arkansas. Tickets are $6 for adults, $2 for students, and free for children under 10.

The Ice Hogs returned to their home rink on December 9 and 10 to face the Missouri State Bears (D2) and the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Behind a two goal night from three different players and solid goaltending from Brendan Desjardins the Razorbacks powered through the Bears (13-10-1) by a score of 9-1 on December 9. In the first period the Hogs (12-6-0) came out firing and at 2:13 in the first Kasey Womble scored to give Arkansas an early lead. Tyler Bynum scored his first of two 6:53 in to the first, giving the Razorbacks a lead of 2-0 at the end of the period.

8:15 in to the second period Justin McDowell scored for the Razorbacks giving them a now three goal lead, but it was only 35 seconds later that Missouri State’s Derek Vogler scored to bring the game within two. The Hogs would score three more goals in the period, the first from Forest Mudgett with 2 minutes left in the period and 20 seconds later Justin McDowell got his second of the game followed by Tyler Bynum’s second goal of the game with just one second remaining in the period.

The third period saw three more goals from the Ice Hogs. At 3:21 and 8:03 of the third period Justin Gaddy scored his two goals for the night, and with 1:48 left to play in regulation Johnny Stromp got on the board giving the Razorbacks a final score of 9-1 over the Ice Bears.

Then, on December 10, the Hogs relied on the combined goaltending effort of Brendan Desjardins and Nick Jabs and a high scoring offense to take down the Vanderbilt Commodores (10-3-0, #13 in the South) by a score of 13-0. Marcel Toure of the Ice Hogs (13-6-0, #4 in the South) started the scoring off 4:45 into the first period followed by a goal from Connor Crumblish 9:01 in. Johnny Stromp netted a goal for the Hogs with 3:54 left to play in the first, Forest Mudgett and Ryan Holloway also added to the scoreboard before the period ended, giving the Razorbacks a 5-0 lead by the end of the first period.

It only took 1:51 in to the second frame for the Ice Hogs to add to their total when Forest Mudgett scored his second goal of the game. Tyler Bynum added to the total two minutes later, and 7:53 in to the period Martin Sundstedt scored to make the Arkansas lead 8-0.

The third period saw five more goals from Arkansas, first from Michael Kress 8:03 in to the period followed by a goal from Justin McDowell a minute later. Martin Sundstedt scored his second of the game with 4:29 left to play in the game and with 2:53 left Trent Ritchie got on the board, and a minute later Marcel Toure scored his second of the game finalizing the scoring at 13-0 in favor of the Ice Hogs.

Prior to the game, the Hogs were honored to invite six-year-old Chase Carpenter (pictured), survivor of a recent car accident that claimed the lives of Nelma and Buck Carpenter, to drop the ceremonial puck.

Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt marked the end to the Hogs’ first semester. Join the Razorbacks in Dallas, Texas, on January 13th and 14th as they resume their season and look to extend their four game win streak against Division II powerhouse University of North Texas (22-1-0, #13 in the West).

With the combined goaltending effort of Brendan Desjardins and Nick Jabs and a high scoring offense, the Razorbacks took down the Vanderbilt Commodores (10-3-0) by a score of 13-0.

Marcel Toure of the Ice Hogs (13-6-0) started the scoring off tonight 4:45 in to the first period followed by a goal from Connor Crumblish 9:01 in. Johnny Stromp netted a goal for the Hogs with 3:54 left to play in the first, Forest Mudgett and Ryan Holloway also added to the scoreboard before the period ended, giving the Razorbacks a score of 5-0 at the end of the first period.

It only took 1:51 in to the second period for the Ice Hogs to add to their total when Forest Mudgett scored his second goal of the game. Tyler Bynum added to the total two minutes later, and 7:53 in to the period Martin Sundstedt scored to make the Arkansas lead 8-0 at the end of the second period.

The third period saw five more goals from Arkansas, first from Michael Kress 8:03 in to the period followed by a goal from Justin McDowell a minute later. Martin Sundstedt scored his second of the game with 4:29 left to play in the game and with 2:53 left Trent Ritchie got on the board, and a minute later Marcel Toure scored his second of the game finalizing the scoring at 13-0 in favor of the Ice Hogs.

Be sure to join the Razorbacks in Dallas, Texas on January 13th and 14th as they look to extend their win streak take on the University of North Texas Eagles.