The University of Arkansas Razorback Hockey Club is excited to announce the start of the 2024-2025 hockey season with its season-opening games this Thursday and Friday evenings versus the University of Oklahoma at the Jones Center in Springdale, AR. This season marks a significant milestone for the program as it expands from one Division III (D3) team to include both a Division II (D2) and D3 team, a testament to the growth and success of Razorback Hockey.

A New Era for Razorback Hockey: D2 and D3 Teams

After years of competing at the D3 level, the Razorback Hockey Club is proud to introduce a D2 team into the fold for the 2024-2025 season. This expansion allows the program to compete at a higher level within the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) while continuing to build on its strong tradition at the D3 level.

Head Coach Keller Sims, returning for his eighth season, will lead the D2 team into its inaugural season. “We’re excited about this new challenge and the opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the country,” said Sims. “With the talent we’ve brought in and the energy in camp, we’re poised for a strong start.”

The D3 team, under new Head Coach Greg Betzold, remains committed to its goal of competing for national championships. Coach Betzold brings a wealth of experience from his playing career in the OHL and ECHL, and he is eager to guide the Razorbacks through another successful season. “Our program’s growth reflects the dedication of our players, coaches, and supporters. We’re ready to make this season one to remember,” said Betzold.

Season Highlights and Opponents

The Razorbacks are set to face a challenging schedule that includes matchups against top-tier programs such as the University of Oklahoma, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Kansas, among others. Fans can expect high-energy games filled with the fast-paced action that Razorback Hockey is known for.

Home Games at the Jones Center

All home games will be played at the Jones Center in Springdale, where the Razorbacks enjoy a strong home-ice advantage thanks to their passionate fan base. The team has a history of drawing large crowds, creating an electric atmosphere that energizes the players and makes the Jones Center a fortress for Razorback Hockey.

Watch Live on YouTube

For fans unable to attend in person, all home games will be streamed live on the Razorback Hockey Club’s official YouTube channel, ensuring that supporters can follow the action from anywhere.

About Razorback Hockey Club

Established in 2007, the Razorback Hockey Club has become a cornerstone of the University of Arkansas’s club sports scene. Competing in the ACHA, the program has earned a reputation for excellence, both on and off the ice. With a focus on developing student-athletes and engaging with the local community, the Razorbacks have built a strong following and are a source of pride for the university.

For more information about the Razorback Hockey Club, the upcoming schedule, and how to purchase tickets, follow the team on social media.

Following the completion of training camp and Red vs White Game, the rosters for both the DII and DIII team have been announced. Both teams are filled with both familiar and new faces. Overall the program will see twenty-eight new players join twenty-six returning players across the two teams.

The Division II roster can be found here.

There Division III roster can be found here.

Earlier this summer, Arkansas Hockey announced the news that the program would be fielding teams at both the ACHA DII and DIII level. With the the change, the team is happy to announce the coaching staff for each team for the upcoming season.

First, Arkansas Hockey is happy to welcome new DIII Head Coach Greg Betzold! This upcoming season marks his first behind the bench at the collegiate level. When asked what he was looking forward to most about joining Arkansas Hockey, he had this to say “My whole life has been dedicated to hockey, so I’m excited to continue being in the game, but in a different role. I’ve played at the highest levels and I’m looking forward to sharing my knowledge and experience with our players”. Before his career in coaching, Coach Betzold established a accomplished career as a player. In high school, he attended the famous hockey academy at Shattuck St. Marys before playing four seasons of major juniors for the Peterborough Petes in the OHL. Coach Betzold attended two St. Louis Blues NHL development camp and played five years in the ECHL prior to his retirement.

The Head Hog has high expectations for his team heading into this season: “The expectations I have for my team goes on and off the ice. To play for U of A hockey is an honor and I expect my boys treat it as such. I expect my team to bring a strong work ethic every day, to balance both being a student and an athlete, to be role models in the communities around them, and lastly, to compete for a National Championship.” In addition to his role as DIII Head Coach, he will be serving as Director of Player Development for the Program. In this role, Coach Betzold will be able to utilize his skill, knowledge, and experience to help players on both teams improve and develop their on ice skills to the highest level.

Defensive coach Dakota Gottlieb will be remaining at DIII to continue his role leading the defensive core. He will be serving as Associate Head Coach and right hand man to Coach Betzold. Director of Hockey Operations, Keller Sims, was very excited when asked about Coach Gottlieb’s new role for this season: “His experience as a Razorback and history with the program made him an obvious choice to help with the transition period of the program. Showing the new coaches and players what this program is about and the pride we all have in being a Hog was important to us when we decided to move in this direction”.

In addition to his on ice role. Coach Gottlieb will be serving as coordinator of off ice development within the program. Using his passion for nutrition, exercise, and mental growth, he will take point on helping players develop in the weight room and at the dinner table, to build themselves to be successful and high performing athletes. Coach Gottlieb has expressed his excitement for this upcoming season: “I am excited to continue my coaching journey and help lead our team to another successful season.  I look forward to helping continue to grow this program and the sport in the state. The Arkansas Razorbacks have an illustrious legacy and I am proud to contribute.”

Another new face to the program, Elliot Stark, will be joining the DIII staff as an assistant coach leading the forward group. Coach Stark has an extensive history of coaching at the youth level and an extensive playing career in the club and colligate level out of St. Louis, MO. Coach Stark brings experience and knowledge to his forward group, hoping to lead by example and setting a high standard early to push the group all season.

Head Coach Keller Sims returns for his eighth season behind the bench, where he looks to continue his history of success as the team advances into the ACHA DII level. After reaching the National Tournament in six of his previous seven seasons, he looks forward to the new challenge in front of him. “I’m really excited for this opportunity. I’m hoping these guys buy in early and are as excited for the challenge as I am. We have a real opportunity to make an early name for ourselves at this level.” In addition to coaching the DII team, Coach Sims will also be serving as Director of Hockey Operations, overseeing the success and operations of both teams, as well as recruitment, and program development.

Rejoining Coach Sims, will be Assistant Coach Ryan Urban. In his third season with the team, Coach Urban has been pivotal to the growth and success of the forward group over his time with the program. Since joining in the 2022-23 season, he has helped his players reach new offensive heights and contributed to the on ice success of special teams. When asked about the move to DII, Coach Urban had this to say “I think this will be a fun season. I’m looking forward to the skill and speed that these forwards play at, and helping them reach the highest level of success possible”. Coach Urban has a history of success at the ACHA II level. He played five years at Penn State, qualifying for the National Tournament four of those five years. “I know my experiences can translate to the success of this team” Coach Urban said.

The last new addition to the program is DII Defensive Assistant Coach Dan Sova. Coach Sova brings a wealth of playing experience and hockey knowledge to the program. Growing up in Minnesota, Coach Sova was on skates by the age of three. He spent two years playing for the Waterloo Blackhawks in the USHL prior to four years at Michigan Tech at the NCAA DI level. After his collegiate career, Sova spent two years in the professional ranks prior to retiring due to injuries. When asked what he is looking forward to most about joining the program: “I am really looking forward to helping these defensemen develop their skills and harness their craft. I also look forward to contributing to the growth of these young men off the ice, to help contribute to their future success by learning to go about things the right way”.

In addition to the changes behind the bench for reach team: Goalie Coach Justin Goad returns for his third season with the program. Athletic trainer Chad Fink is back for his eighth season. Faculty Advisor Jingxian Wu is back for his fifth with the program. Strength and Conditioning Coach Corey Rees is back for his third season leading the team in the weight room.

After announcing the move to Division II earlier this year, Arkansas Hockey is proud to announce the program will also be fielding a team at the Division III level in 2024-25. The Division II team will compete in the Gold division of their current MACHA conference and in the Central Region of the ACHA. The Division III team will compete as an Independent in their first season before rejoining the MACHA Silver division in 2025-26.

2024-25 will mark the first season of competition at the ACHA Division II level in the programs history. In addition to their gauntlet of a schedule in the deep MACHA, the team will take the ice with some of the top teams in the country at this level. Head Coach Keller Sims had this to say when he was asked about how he felt about the new challenge: “Obviously we are very excited about the move. It has been on our radar for a few years, and we knew with how young we were last season and the trajectory of our program, that we were in a good place to make the jump”. When asked about how he feels they will match up he added: ” I think we will surprise a lot of people. We have a lot of talent returning that could of played at that level last season. We have been really active in recruiting and I feel really good about our incoming players. I see us starting with a lot of energy and competition at camp, and hopefully that roles into a hot start for us”.

Historically the program has competed at the Division III level since its inaugural season in 2007. Though the team will continue to compete at the Division III level, it will be the teams first as an Independent since they joined the SECHC in 2009 and moved to the MACHA in 2021. “It’s an interesting outlook for sure. We always pushed to make and win our conference championship. Ultimately it made the most sense to compete as an Independent for the teams first year for scheduling purposes” Coach Sims had to say when asked about not competing in the MACHA. With nine appearances in the National Tournament, and six in the last seven years, Arkansas Hockey has built a reputation of a power house at the D III level. For an outlook on next season, Coach Sims simply had this to say: “The team will be good, we wouldn’t of made this decision if we didn’t feel we could continue to compete for National Championships every year. My goal is for them to be in the tournament every season, and that doesn’t change now”.

The team plans to announce more news over the course of the summer including the Division III Head Coach and both teams full coaching staffs, scheduling updates, fundraisers, jersey and apparel sales, and more. Keep your eye on the teams social media pages and website for more information as we get closer to the 2024-25 season!

The 2023-24 season saw the Razorbacks qualify for the ACHA National Tournament for a program record 5th consecutive year. The Hogs would enter the tournament as the 8th seed and would be matched in pool play with #1 Lawerence Tech, #9 Colby College, and #16 St Vincent University. ACHA Nationals is made up of 16 teams split into 4 pools of 4. The winner of each pool advances to the single elimination semifinal and then the two semifinal winners face off in a single elimination final game.

The Hogs got off to a hot start with a win over #9 Colby College. Despite controlling most of the game, a 2 minute lapse in the 3rd period saw Colby claw back to tie the game, prior to Arkansas pulling away with 2 late goals. Arkansas cruised in the second match up against #16 St. Vincent, jumping out to a early lead, and controlling the game until the final buzzer and a 6-1 final.

Saturday was a battle from the first puck drop against #1 Lawerence Tech. Both teams fought for every inch of ice in the first period where LTU would score first. Unfazed the Razorbacks found the back of the net and most of the momentum during the second frame. Arkansas would continue with their foot on the gas early in the third where they would find the back of the net on the powerplay to take the 2-1 lead. Lawerence Tech would tie the game with just under half of the period remaining. The game would stay tied at the end of regulation leading to a 10 minute overtime. Due to tiebreakers (goal differential in pool play) Arkansas entered the overtime knowing they needed to win, while LTU would advance with a tie. Despite chances at both ends neither team could break the stalemate and the game would end in a tie.

This marks the second time in program history that Arkansas has gone undefeated in pool play only to be eliminated by tie breakers. LTU would go on to win the 2024 ACHA National Championship by defeating Missouri in the semifinals and Grand Valley State in the championship game.

The team returns to the ice next season and will look to continue their run of Nationals appearances in their first season of competition at the Division II level. Stay tuned for more exciting updates throughout the offseason and be sure to follow all of the teams social media pages. The program would love to extend their gratitude to all of the fans that continually make the team one of the most popular club hockey teams in the country.

This past weekend, the University of Arkansas Hockey Club came in at the 8th spot of the final rankings of the season. It marks the 5th season in a row the Hogs have qualified for the National Tournament. Overall the Hogs have qualified for Nationals 9 times since the programs inaugural season in 2007. Arkansas rose one spot from #9 where they had spent much of the spring semester. The MACHA will be represented by three teams in the big dance as fellow MACHA South Rivals Missouri State and Mizzou will be joining Arkansas. This marks the second year in a row the MACHA has been represented by three members from the strongest division in the conference.

Arkansas will embark on pool play Thursday 3/8 at 2:15pm against #9 Colby College. Next they will face off with CHE winner Saint Vincent College on Friday 3/9 at 2:15pm. In the pool play finale, Arkansas will take on #1 seed Lawerence Tech. Lawerence Tech is coming off of a MCHC Championship defeat to Hope college. The finale is slated for Saturday 3/9 at 8:15pm. All games will be played at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, MO. All games will be broadcast by the ACHA via FloSports and HockeyTV.

If the Razorbacks advance out of pool play, they will face the winner of Pool D (Missouri, Air Force, Central Maine, Michigan State) on Monday 3/11 at 1:15pm. The Championship game is scheduled for 4:00pm on Tuesday 3/12.

Keep track of all of the action by staying glued to the teams social media channels over the course of their Nationals run!

This past weekend, the Razorbacks traveled to Chesterfield, Missouri to compete in the MACHA Conference Tournament. A single elimination tournament, Arkansas began with a match up against a tough Dordt College team from the MACHA North.

Friday against Dordt, the Hogs jumped on the board early, six minutes into the first period thanks to Junior Jason Gifford. The Razorbacks would add to their lead when sophomore Thomas Verble would find the back of the net in the second period. However, Dordt would respond with one goal before the end of the second period. After a period dominated by the Razorbacks, Dordt found the equalizer late in the third on the powerplay. The game would ultimately head into double overtime where Senior Truman Hirschy was the ultimate hero with 2:45 to go in the second OT. This propelled the Hogs into the semifinal against Mizzou on Saturday.

Saturday evening, the energy for the Arkansas vs Mizzou rivalry at the Maryville University Hockey Center was electric. The Hogs got off to a sloppy start, as Mizzou jumped on the board just 30 seconds in. The Tigers would build their lead to two with one more in the first period. Heading into the second down 2-0, the Hogs made some changes during the
intermission, and they came out hot. Despite this, it wouldn’t be until the last two minutes of the second period when Ethan Rogers finds the back of the net, cutting Mizzou’s lead in half. David Markovich tied it up in the opening minutes of the third, however Mizzou responded with a go-ahead goal midway through the third. Mizzou would net one more empty net goal, and the Hogs would drop the semifinal game against Mizzou, 4-2.

It was the third year in a row the two teams have met in the MACHA semifinals, with Arkansas taking the first, and Missouri the last two. MACHA Silver will see a new champion next season as Arkansas (2022) and Missouri (2023, 2024) will both move to MACHA Gold and ACHA Division II starting in the 2024-25 season.

The Razorbacks season isn’t over yet, as the team will host to Drury (Division II) this upcoming Friday, and Nebraska next weekend for Senior night. The team also awaits the result of the national rankings to determine their seeding for the National Tournament, held March 7-12 in Maryland Heights, Missouri.

This past weekend, the #10 Arkansas Razorbacks hosted #3 Florida Gulf Coast University in an ACHA top 10 matchup. 

Saturday night, Hogs got off to a very hot start as Senior Captain, Kyle Crews, found the back of the net just 27 seconds into the game. FGCU followed up with a tying goal six minutes into the first period, but Sophomore Connor Chapman responded with the go ahead goal just a minute later. Brenden Coon would net one more goal for the Hogs before the end of the first period, and they would head into the second with a 3-1 lead. Brenden Coon would grab his second goal of the game at the beginning of the second period, followed by goals from Ethan Moder and David Markovich, all before the halfway point in the second period. The third period was rather uneventful, however FGCU would find the back of the net to get one more goal before the Hogs could close things out with a final score of 6-2. Senior Goalie, Sam Haynes, received player of the game honors, and the Razorbacks would head into game two with all the momentum.

Sunday afternoon, the Razorbacks started right where they left off with 2 goals in the first. Senior D-man, Brian Romero, would get on the board first. Senior Forward, Kyle Patterson, would follow up with a goal of his own 10 minutes into the game. The Hogs would head into the second period feeling great about their game. FGCU came out hot in the second as they responded with two goals to tie it up heading into the period. The Eagles would respond with one more goal at the beginning of third. The Hogs would claw back for most of the third period, however penalties remained a factor for the Hogs’ comeback. With 30 seconds remaining, Senior Captain, Kyle Crews, found the back of the net to tie it up, and send it to overtime. The Razorbacks made quick work in overtime, and Senior Forward, Trevor Borlace once again won it for the Razorbacks. Trevor Borlace would go on to receive Player of the Game honors, as the Razorbacks walk out with an upset sweep over the #3 team in the country!

The Hogs will return to the ice Friday, February 9th in Chesterfield, MO as they embark on their 2023-24 MACHA playoff campaign. Game time will be 2:00 PM Central as the team faces off against #20 Dordt University.

“The Fish” is staying home! After a split on the weekend, and a split in the season series 2-2, Arkansas remained in control of the Battle of the Ozarks trophy by blanking #17 Missouri State in a shootout following their 8-4 victory on Saturday. This marks the third straight season the Hogs will end the season in possession of the trophy.

Friday saw the Hogs get off to another slow start, allowing Missouri State to jump out to a 5-0 lead. Arkansas showed their never quit attitude and came out hot with 3 unanswered goals to start the 3rd period. While pressing on the penalty kill, the Hogs would get caught up ice, allowing a break away goal which stopped the momentum and the come back. Ultimately the Hogs would fall 6-3 to the Ice Bears.

On Saturday, a much different Razorback team hit the ice. Arkansas would control nearly the entire 60 minutes of play in the contest with 3 goals in the first, 2 in the second, and 3 in the third. Arkansas would never surrender the lead, and eventually claimed the 8-4 victory on the backs of Senior Trevor Borlace’s 4 goals and a stellar performance in net by Senior Sam Haynes.

Per the series tie breaker, a 5 man shoot out was held to determine the winner of season long Battle of the Ozarks. In the shootout, Freshman JD Duenwald would score the only goal needed as Haynes stopped all 5 bears he faced.

It was all good news for the Hogs this weekend! Despite the loss on Friday, Arkansas will advance to the MACHA Tournament for the 3rd consecutive season on the backs of a better goals against average in division play than the Ice Bears. Arkansas has never missed qualification for the MACHA Tournament since joining the league in 2021-22. Arkansas would claim the Conference Title in 2022 with a win over Missouri State, and were eliminated in 2023 by eventual champion Missouri. Arkansas will enter the tournament as the 6th seed and will face third seeded Dordt University out of the MACHA North in the first round of the single elimination tournament. The Game is scheduled for 2:00PM on Friday February 9th at The Maryville University Hockey Center in St. Charles, MO.

This past weekend, the Arkansas Razorbacks returned to the Jones Center for their first games of the spring semester as the #10 Hogs hosted #4 Mizzou in a heated rivalry series. 

Friday night was Ugly Sweater night as The Hogs hosted their first jersey auction of the season. It was a historic night at the Jones Center as the game was played in front of a record crowd of 1,038 fans! The crowd fueled the team early as the Razorbacks got things going, midway through the first, when Brenden Coon found the back of the net, assisted by JD Duenwald and Kyle Crews. Shortly after, Trevor Borlace responded with a second for the Hogs as they took a 2-0 lead on Mizzou early in the game. The Tigers would find the back of the net in the final minutes of the first to cut the lead in half. Despite being outshot the first two periods, Mizzou took the lead in the second, scoring twice, and the Hogs were forced to respond. In the final minutes of the second period, Brenden Coon scored his second of the game to tie the game once more, heading into the third period.

Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, the Tigers came out hot in the third period, scoring in the first two minutes of the frame, then again five minutes later. Mikey Gakhutishvilli scored to cut the Tigers lead back down to 1, but the Tigers responded 30 seconds later to seal the game. The Razorbacks dropped game one against Mizzou, 6-4. Despite this loss, it was an amazing night with a record breaking crowd.

Saturday afternoon, the Hogs returned to the ice for game two against Mizzou. Another great crowd of over 700 fans was treated to a fast paced and high scoring contest. Additionally, Sophomore, David “Mac” Markovich made his ACHA debut. Kyle Crews came out hot with two quick goals 1:12 apart. Kyle Patterson would add to the lead a few minutes later giving the Hogs a 3-0 lead. 10 minutes into the first, Mizzou cut into the Arkansas lead with two quick goals in 1:24 to make it 3-2 just 11:00 minutes into the game. Sam Karraker responded with one more goal to make it 4-2 heading into the second.

40 seconds into the second period, the Tigers would quickly cut into the Hogs’ two goal lead, making it 4-3. That would not matter as Mikey Gakhutishvilli scored two in a row, and Mac Markovich got his 1st collegiate goal in his first game. With one more Mizzou goal in the second period, the Hogs cruised into the third period with at 7-4 lead. After running into penalty trouble early in the 3rd period, Sam Karraker would find the back of the net one more time, following another Mizzou goal, and the Hogs would take game two on the weekend, 8-5.

Overall, the Mizzou Tigers took the season series, 3-1.

Arkansas will head to Springfield, MO this weekend for the final two games of the Battle of the Ozark’s series with MACHA rival #17 Missouri State. The games are scheduled for 7:00PM on Friday and 6:00PM on Saturday night at Jordan Valley Ice Park. The Fish Trophy will be on the line as the regular season series is tied at one a piece after the Hogs and Bears split the weekend series in Springdale earlier this season. Both games will be broadcast free on YouTube via Web Sports Radio. The Razorbacks will return to the Jones Center on Saturday February 3rd at 7:30PM and Sunday February 4th at 1:30PM, as the team hosts #2 Florida Gulf Coast University in their first ever trip to Arkansas.