The University of Arkansas Men’s Ice Hockey program is excited to announce several changes for the upcoming 2018-19 season.  First, both teams will make a structural move from University Recreation to Student Affairs.

Historically, the program existed as a “Club Sport” through University Recreation.  Clubs are regulated by university policy but are also self-administered, meaning club members traditionally manage the team.  While this model worked for many years, over time, the men’s hockey program grew into two teams, 60 players, 8 coaches, an athletic trainer, two graduate assistants, and a 5-person student board.  This growth demonstrates the strength of the program, but also created challenges under the traditional club sport structure.

Accordingly, after eleven successful years with UREC, the program is excited to move across campus to the Division of Student Affairs, led by Vice Chancellor Charles Robinson.  Razorback Hockey will become the first member of “Club Sports Advance,” which is housed under Student Affairs.  Doing so will shift team management, external relations, budgeting, and resources to the Student Affairs office.  The team is extremely grateful to the staff at UREC who not only supported the team for eleven years but also made this next step possible.

The move to Club Sports Advance also creates the opportunity to expand the team’s leadership.  To facilitate that growth, Division I Head Coach Brian Gallini will step down from his longtime role as head coach and transition into a new program-wide oversight position.  In that new role, Coach Gallini will advise the Division I & III coaching staffs, assist the program through its transition to Student Affairs, mentor student-athletes, and provide overall stability and continuity to the program.

In his nine years with the program, Coach Gallini’s teams (both at Division I and III) won five SECHC Championships and five top ten South/Pacific Region finishes, took three trips to Division III Nationals, achieved the highest finish for any team in ACHA history in its first DI season after moving from DIII, and amassed an overall 186-92-8 record.  Coach Gallini has served the program for nearly a decade while simultaneously serving as Associate Dean and Professor of Law at the School of Law.  In 2017, he was named SEC faculty of the year for the University of Arkansas campus.

Said Coach Gallini, “It’s hard to capture in a few words just how big our program has become since 2007.  I want to thank my players and fellow coaches for believing in our brand of hockey these past several seasons.  Our program is indebted to the College of Education and Health Professions and University Recreation for their support and leadership of Razorback Hockey.  We are also thankful to Chancellor Steinmetz and Dr. Robinson for believing in our vision for the growth and success of the hockey program here at the University of Arkansas.”

The program is excited about the future of Razorback Hockey.  A search for a new Division I Head Coach will begin immediately.

The Division III Razorbacks recently returned from the ACHA National Tournament and wrapped up an impressive 17-18 season, finishing ranked 8th in the country.

In Columbus, the Ice Hogs tied two games and won their final heat, but failed to progress out of pool play.  In their first match, they faced Florida Gulf Coast University in what turned out to be a tie game (1-1).  Their second game against Fairfield ended in a similar manner but was a higher scoring game (6-6).  To round out pool play, the DIII Hogs met Hope College and notched a 5-2 victory.

They left the tournament with a 1-0-2 record but due to ACHA rules did not advance to the next round.  Hope College moved on and proceeded to win the Championship.  Senior Captain Andrew DeNome said, “The season was a huge success, we achieved all of our goals as a team, we really came together as a unit despite the adversity we faced. Although we came up short in the National Tournament, our younger guys and younger leaders will be prepared for next year.”

All in all, the DIII Razorbacks had an incredibly successful season with a 25-6-2 overall record.  Additionally, the Team reclaimed both the SECHC Championship and Pacific Region Championship titles.  DIII’s success would not have been possible without the overwhelming support from fans, friends, and families, University Recreation, Student Affairs, and the Coaching Staff.

Said Senior Captain Matt Tallo, “This season has been the best season of hockey I have ever been a part of. From top to bottom, everyone put in their best effort and we were very successful. We cannot thank everyone enough for their support throughout the season. I would also like to thank my teammate, coaches, and family for these memories that will last a lifetime.”

On behalf of the Coaching Staff, Coach Keller Sims said, “We are very proud of everything these guys accomplished this season. We started with the goal of bringing the SEC trophy back to Fayetteville, and we were able to accomplish that goal and so much more. This group came together early and responded to adversity all season, especially at Nationals by going undefeated and beating the eventual National Champions. The character of the guys in that locker room is second to none. You couldn’t ask for a better group to represent our program and show everyone what Arkansas Hockey is all about.”

This weekend, the Division III Razorback Hockey team heads to Columbus, Ohio, to participate in the ACHA National Championship Tournament.  Two weeks ago, the DIII Ice Hogs swept the Pacific Regional Tournament, defeating the Kansas Jayhawks and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneers.

The Team will make the long trip to Columbus this Sunday, March 11th.  They will practice at the Chiller North Rink (8144 Highfield Dr., Lewis Center, Ohio 43035) at 1:00 pm on Monday, March 12th.

The National Tournament features a pool-play format, with the University of Arkansas included in Pool D.  Their first game will be on Tuesday, March 13^th versus Florida Gulf Coast University at 8:30 pm.  On Wednesday, the DIII Razorbacks will face Fairfield University at 2:30 pm.  Then, on Thursday, they will play Hope College at 2:00 pm.

The winner of Pool D will then play the winner of Pool A on Friday, March 16th at 4:00 pm. The Championship game will be the following day, March 17th, at 8:00 pm.

Arkansas enters the contest riding an eleven game winning streak and playing some of their best hockey, having recently swept both the Pacific Regional Tournament and the SECHC Conference Playoffs.

All of the games will be broadcast through the ACHA National Championships YouTube page, which can be found here.  For ticket prices and more information, check out the ACHA National Championships website.

 

This weekend, the Division III Razorback Hockey team (#5 Pacific Region, 22-6-0 overall) heads to Lincoln, Nebraska, to participate in the Pacific Regional Tournament. The win or go home format, which we explain in more detail here, features a rematch between the Hogs and #8 Kansas Jayhawks (20-6-1 overall) on Friday at 4:00 PM CST at the Breslow Ice Center (433 V St. Lincoln, NE 68508).  In order to advance to the Division III National Tournament, Arkansas must defeat Kansas and then win again on Saturday.

Arkansas and Kansas have met five times this season, including one game to open the season in the Pacific Region Showcase. Although Kansas holds a 3-2 series edge, the Hogs have outscored Kansas 19-17 in their five total meetings.  The two teams met most recently last November when the Hogs took game one by a 5-1 score but dropped the second game of the weekend series by a 4-3 margin.  That loss, back on November 18, marks the last time the Division III Hogs lost a game.

Arkansas enters the contest riding a nine game winning streak and playing some of their best hockey, having recently swept the SECHC Conference Playoffs by defeating Vanderbilt, Kentucky (Division II), and Florida.  The Hogs outscored their SECHC foes by a cumulative total of 15-4.

The Razorbacks will be one of the eight teams competing in the regional this weekend for two available spots to go to the Division III National Tournament. The other teams competing in the Pacific Regional are: the University of Nebraska, the Colorado School of Mines, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, the University of Northern Arizona, Colorado Mesa University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  Should the Hogs defeat the Jayhawks, Arkansas would play again on Saturday the 24^th at either 2:00 PM or 5:00 PM.

Live streaming links for the Arkansas game(s) will be posted on all of the program’s social media pages closer to face-off times.

This weekend, the Division I Ice Hogs will take on the #3 ranked Lindenwood Lions in their final two games of the season. The Hogs will play Lindenwood on Friday, February 16^th at 7:30 PM and Saturday, February 17^th at 4:30 PM at the Jones Center in Springdale. The Hogs enter the weekend having dropped a competitive 2-1 contest to Illinois State on Senior night last Saturday.  Meanwhile, Lindenwood comes in having split a pair of games on the road against Robert Morris University (Ill.). The Hogs are 0-2 all time against Lindenwood.

On Friday before the game, join us as we honor our Division III team, which won the SECHC Conference Playoff tournament last weekend.  Both games will be broadcast on YouTube thanks to our friends over at Drop the Gloves Radio. Be on the lookout for a link on the team’s Facebook page closer to game time.

FANS: After the game come out to Black Apple Crossing (321 E Emma Ave, Springdale, AR 72764) from 8-9 and meet the Hogs. Black Apple is just right down the road from the Jones Center. Black Apple is an all ages venue, so fans of all ages are welcome. Come celebrate the end of another Division I season!

The Division III Razorbacks are prepping for Regionals after bringing home the SECHC Championship in Nashville this past weekend. While there, the Ice Hogs faced Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Florida.

For their first game of the tournament, the Razorbacks met Vanderbilt on Friday night. According to Coach McDowell, the Hogs “had a slow start to the game against Vanderbilt. We have a young team and we were probably looking ahead to our second round matchup against Kentucky.”

Vandy took a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period. But, led by the captains, the team rallied and scored two goals in the second (from Grand Deacon and Captain Andrew DeNome), outshooting Vandy 19-3. Then, in the third period, Vandy made a strong push and Arkansas had to kill off 4 penalties in the final frame. The third period was led by their goaltender Dalton Baker who played very strong. Late in the period, Drew Hill buried a breakaway to tally an insurance marker for the Hogs who went on to win 3-1.

The Team then met Kentucky in the semi-finals on Saturday, February 10^th.  Coach McDowell says the Razorbacks “knew they were in for a fight with their 2nd round opponent Kentucky, who was 20-7 at the Division 2 level this season.” But the Hogs did not back down. They “came out swinging” and put up three goals in the first frame. They played stout defense led by Freshman Tyler Valdron (who also scored), Alex Kueser (who also had a goal) and Freshman Goalie Jozef Dusenka.

The Wildcats made it a game by scoring early in the second period on the power play. But Matt Lasky was able to bring the lead back up to 3 again late in the 2nd period with his first of two goals in the game.

In the third period, Arkansas did not let Kentucky back into the game. They finished strong with 3 goals from Senior Trey Lowry, Freshman Grant Deacon, and Junior Matt Lasky. The Hogs made it on to the finals to face-off against the Florida Gators.

On Sunday, February 11^th, the Hogs finally made it to the Championship game, allowing them to reach one of their major goals on the season. They had to face long time SEC Finals Rival, the Florida Gators. Arkansas battled hard and had to deal with a 2 minute 5-3 penalty kill in the first period.

Shortly after their strong penalty kill, the Hogs lit the lamp for the first time in the game. Evan Kerr was able to bury a great pass from long-time lineman Trey Lowry to put the Hogs up 1-0. The Hogs would later add a second goal from the stick of Drew Hill. After 20 minutes, the Hogs were up 2-0.

Less than a minute into the second period, Florida scored their first goal. However, Evan Kerr buried his second goal of the night and was able to put the Hogs back up on top 3-1. After a back in forth period that included of a disallowed goal on the shoulders of Alex Kueser the Hogs kept fighting. Less than a minute remaining in the period, Alex Kueser made an incredible play—dangling the Florida defender by putting the puck between his legs—and ripping a shot to the top left corner to extend the lead to 4-1.

In the final frame, the Hogs battled through 3 penalties including a five-minute major by Jacob Yaseen. The PK shut the door and didn’t allow Florida to cash in on any opportunities. Later that period, Matt Lasky scored his 3rd goal of the tournament to help Arkansas win the SECHC Championship game 5-1 over Florida.

This is the Division III Team’s 6th SECHC Championship in the last 9 seasons, and 1st since the 2014-2015 season.

Additionally, during the 2017-18 SECHC Awards Ceremony, the Razorbacks took home four awards: Third Team All-SEC Alex Kueser and Sky Chambers; Second Team All-SEC Trey Lowry; and First Team All-SEC Jozef Dusenka.

The Hogs are awaiting the Regional Ranking to see who they will face in the first round of the Pacific Regional Tournament on February 23-24th.

 

 

Razorback Hockey is looking forward to an exciting weekend as Division I takes on Illinois State in Springdale and Division III competes for the SEC Championship.

The DIII Hogs, five-time SEC Playoff Champions, are looking to reclaim the title at the SECHC Playoffs in Nashville, TN.  On Friday, the Ice Hogs (#2) will meet Vanderbilt Hockey (#7) at 8:00 pm CT.  The winner of the opener will move on to the Semi-Final, scheduled for February 10 at 5:00 pm CT.  The Championship Game will be on Sunday at 2:30 pm.  To keep up with the Razorbacks as they battle it out in Tennessee, follow @SECHChockey and @PenaltyBoxRadio on Twitter.

DIII Head Coach Justin McDowell is very optimistic about the Team’s likelihood of success.  He said, “we are very excited about this tournament. It has been our season goal all year long. Now that we are here, we are just going to take it one game at a time.”

Division I will be at home February 9-10 against the Illinois State Redbirds.  The two teams met back in September 2017 in Redbirds’ territory, but the Ice Hogs pulled out two exciting wins.   They will meet again, this time at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale, on Friday, February 9 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, February 10 at 4:30 pm.

Saturday’s game will be Senior Day to honor our five outstanding Division I seniors: Jacob Brown (#9); Jesse Foskey (#28); James Haddock (#25); Landyn Howze (#12); and Matt Robinson (#77).  Come out and help us thank them!

 

This weekend the Division I Razorbacks return home for the first time in the second semester by hosting Division II McKendree University Bearcats.  The Bears will enter the weekend with a record of 18-4-0 and are ranked #1 in the Division II Central Region.  The two teams have not met since January of 2015 when both programs were Division III Pacific Region rivals.  Puck drop is set for Friday, January 26 at 8:00 PM and Saturday, January 27 at 4:30 PM at the Jones Center in Springdale. Keep an eye on the team’s Facebook Page closer to game time for a link to the game’s broadcast, brought to you by Drop the Gloves Radio.

The Division III Hogs open the second semester of play last weekend against the Creighton Bluejays.  Entering the weekend, the Division III Razorbacks were ranked #9 in the Pacific Region while the Bluejays entered as #10.  Arkansas put some distance between itself in both nights–notching 9-1 and 7-3 wins to earn the series sweep.  Saturday was Senior Night where the program recognized the Division III roster’s four seniors — #6 Andrew DeNome, #23 Matt Tallo, #71 Sky Chambers, and #32 Trey Lowry.

This weekend, the Division III Razorbacks travel to Olive Branch, Mississippi to take on SEC rival Ole Miss. The two teams have hooked up once before this season–all the way back in September when Arkansas earned a 5-1 victory.  Puck drop is set for Friday, January 26 at 9:30 PM and Saturday, January 27 at 4:15 PM.  Follow the team’s social media pages for score updates.

On January 18, 2017, the University of Arkansas Men’s Division I hockey team (8-16-1) rings in the New Year against the Colorado State Rams (7-14-2).  Arkansas has not played for over a month, having closed down the first semester in early December against Missouri State.  For its part, Colorado State has likewise been off, having not played since dropping a pair of contests against UNLV early in December of 2017.

These two teams last hooked up when Arkansas hosted the Rams on October 6-7.  The exciting back and forth series featured a 2-1 overtime shootout win for the Hogs in night one followed by a 3-2 regulation win for Arkansas in the second game.  The puck drops on Thursday, January 18, at 9:30 pm CST and fans can watch the game live at game time here.

When the game ends, the Razorbacks will travel to Boulder roughly an hour away to settle in for a pair of games against the #7 Colorado Buffaloes (16-5-1).  The Razorbacks’ lone meeting against Colorado came on a Thursday night back in Springdale when, on October 5, the Buffs handed the Hogs a 6-1 loss.  Game times for the series are 8:30 pm CST on Friday, January 19, and 8:30 pm CST on Saturday, January 20.

Back in Springdale, the Division III Razorbacks take on a first-time visitor to the Jones Center–the Creighton Bluejays.  Having not played since November 18, 2017, Arkansas enters the critical series ranked #9 in the Pacific Region and sporting a 13-6-0 overall record.  By comparison, Creighton enters with a 10-6-1 record and is ranked #!0 in the Pacific Region.  The puck drops on Friday, January 19, at 9:15 pm and on Saturday, January 20, at 4:00 pm.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey program concluded play earlier this month, closing down an improved first semester of play that saw the Division I team play 22 games against ranked opponents.  After a strong start that included a Division I team sweep of Illinois State for the first time in program history, the Hogs struggled to consistently turn in sixty minute performances.  The Division I team would lose leads late in games several times on the road, including to Alabama on September 23, Oklahoma on September 28, Arizona State on October 12, and Arizona State on October 14.  Losing leads late in games was also a problem at home; Arkansas lost two-goal leads to both Oklahoma and Missouri State at home.

But despite the semester’s challenges, the young DI Razorback squad saw numerous positive–and historic–moments during the fall semester.  Notably, the DI Hogs turned in three sweeps:  first against Illinois State and then a first-ever conference sweep of Colorado State followed by a home sweep of arch-rival Alabama.  For perspective, the 16-17 Division I squad was unable to sweep any other Division I opponent.  The first semester also included a first-ever win over Oklahoma on home ice and an overtime thriller against conference-rival Missouri State to close out the first semester.

The second semester includes eleven more games, six of which will take place in the friendly confines of a packed Jones Center. After a three game swing through Colorado to start the second semester, Arkansas returns home to take on Division II McKendree and closes the regular season with four consecutive home games–two against Illinois State and two against Lindenwood. The season’s second half kicks off on January 18 in Ft. Collins against conference-rival Colorado State.

For its part, the Division III Hogs finished the semester with an overall 13-6-0 record. First semester highlights for the DIII squad included sweeps of Robert Morris-Peoria, Missouri State, Mississippi State, and Dordt.  Division III resumes play at home on January 19 against first-time opponent Creighton University.  The DIII Hogs will play six total remaining regular season games before traveling to Nashville, Tennessee, for the SECHC Conference Playoffs on February 9-11.