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Hogs Finish Fall Semester at 17-2

The Arkansas Razorbacks finished their semester with a sweep of East Texas Baptist University on December 2nd-3rd. The results leave the team with a 17-2 record in the fall semester and extends their current winning streak to 14. Saturdays game saw their program record 8 game shutout streak snapped, but the hogs would take both games by a combined score of 25-2. After struggling early in the season, splitting with rivals Missouri State and Mizzou, the Hogs would go on a roll sweeping, Nebraska, UNT, DBU, ETBU, and Kansas, in addition to taking all 3 games at this years Route 66 Showcase in Springfield, MO.

The Hogs winning ways can be attributed to their excellent defensive play. In all, Arkansas has allowed only 30 goals in 19 contests. The Arkansas netminders have stepped up big for the team when they need them this season. Junior goaltender Sam Haynes currently leads the country in shutouts with 6 and he boasts a 11-0 record, with a 1.09 GAA, and a .947 save percentage. Sophomores Grady Reis and Noah Goodwin both boast 3 wins a piece and contributed to keeping the hogs shutout streak alive with big saves between the pipes.

On the other end of the ice, the Razorbacks lead the country in scoring with 145 goals for. Their goal differential of +115 leads all teams by a wide margin, with current #1 and defending National Champion Hope trailing with a +77 goal differential. Overall the team boasts 6 players with double digit goals and 7 players averaging over a point per game on the season. Senior defenseman Cameron McAtee leads the team and the country with 28 goals and 55 points. Senior Zach Wilson leads the country in assists with 28. Freshman defenseman Ethan Rogers leads all newcomers with 12 points on 2 goals and 10 assists.

The Hogs will break for the holidays prior to returning for winter training camp in early January. The first games of the spring semester will put the team up against some of the top teams in the country when they travel to Miami (OH) for three showcase games. Check back for our spring semester preview as we get set to resume play in January 2023!

Arkansas Takes All Three in Dallas, Shutout Streak grows to Seven!

This past weekend the Arkansas Razorbacks traveled to Dallas for MACHA South division games against Dallas Baptist University and The University of North Texas. The Razorbacks entered the weekend on a nine game winning streak, and a four game shutout streak, the longest in program history. Arkansas had previously swept DBU at home, and defeated UNT in their lone meeting earlier this season.

Friday would bring more of the same as the Hogs controlled the pace of play and dominated DBU at both ends of the ice, out shooting the opposition 52-12. Senior Captain Zach Wilson would get the scoring started, followed by freshman Thomas Verble and senior Michael Ellis to finish out the first frame. Seniors Trevor Mclain and Jake Sharrer, and junior Kyle Crews would finish off the scoring in the second. The teams would finish with a scoreless third period to give Junior net-minder Same Haynes his fourth shutout on the season, and third in a row overall.

Saturday the two teams were back at again, and Arkansas would again end the first period with a lead on goals from Senior defensemen Dylan Odelein and Cameron McAtee. Senior Brad Estrada would open the scoring in the second with his first goal of the season, followed by sophomore Jason Gifford on the powerplay, and Zach Wilson shorthanded. Kyle Crews, Michael Ellis, and Senior Griffin Sugasawara would all score in the third frame to give the Hogs an 8-0 victory. Freshman goaltender Noah Goodwin would earn his second victory and shutout in as many starts, giving him 0 goals allowed in two starts. Senior Assistant Captain, and leading scorer, Cameron McAtee notched his 200th career collegiate point when he assisted on Sugaswara’s goal late in the third period!

Sunday the Hogs would finish off their road trip with a dominating performance against UNT. The hogs scored early and often with goals from Matthew Edestrand, Kyle Patterson, Zach Wilson (2), Thomas Verble (2), Jake Sharrer (2), Ian Lotz, and Griffin Sugasawara. Sam Haynes would come up big on a several odd man rushes throughout to preserve the shutout and the streak.

The Hogs are currently on a twelve game win streak and a seven game shutout streak, which continues the program record. Overall Arkansas has not been scored on in 423 minutes and 36 seconds of game play, dating back to the third period of their opener against Miami(OH) in the Route 66 Showcase. All three of the teams goalies (Noah Goodwin, Sam Haynes, and Grady Reis) have contributed to the streak. Arkansas has outscored their opponents by a score of 63-0 since allowing their last goal. During their current 12 game winning streak they have outscored opponents 82-8.

Arkansas is off until December 2nd and 3rd, when they will host East Texas Baptist University at home in the Jones Center. Arkansas swept ETBU in two games last season by a combined score of 32-0. The home set will be your last chance to catch the Razorbacks at home until the spring semester, so come out and help support your Hogs as they look to finish the semester off with another sweep!

Arkansas sweeps at Route 66, Win streak grows to Seven

This past weekend, the Razorbacks traveled back to Springfield, MO for the annual Route 66 Showcase. The Razorbacks entered as two time defending champions, and were looking to go for three straight against tough competition from the north.

The Hogs began the weekend with a matchup against the Miami (OH) RedHawks. Arkansas took both meetings agains Miami last season, one at the Route 66 and one in pool play of the National Tournament. Both teams came ready to play seeing the Razorbacks take the lead, only to have the RedHawks answer each time. Both teams found themselves tied at the end of regulation. Senior captain Zach Wilson buried a beautiful shot on a one on one to win it for the Razorbacks in Overtime.

Game two featured the Hogs and a Ferris State Bulldogs team looking to turn things around following their Friday night loss to Missouri State. The Razorbacks took care of business against the Bulldogs and Sophomore goalie Grady Reis earned his first shutout of the season with a commanding 7-0 victory that featured Senior forward Griffin Sugasawara’s 100th career ACHA goal, and 200th career ACHA point all in the same play.

Sunday mornings’ matchup against the Davenport Panthers saw similar results as the Hogs once again played with a full team effort which led to another 7-0 shutout victory, this time, for Junior goaltender Sammy Haynes. This marked the fourth time in program history Arkansas would record back to back shutouts.

Despite a successful 3-0 weekend, the Hogs fell short of the Route 66 championship as game one against Miami (OH) was won in OT. Missouri State would claim the crown, winning all three games in regulation. The Razorbacks have seemingly found a new rhythm in their game and look to capitalize on it moving forward this season. The Hogs win streak grows to seven and the team improves to 10-2-0 on the season following this weekend. In all 8 seniors played their final games at Jordan Valley Ice Park, a home away from home for the Razorbacks with the Hogs playing and average of 5 games a season in Springfield.

The next home weekend for your Arkansas Razorbacks is against the University of Kansas Jayhawks on Friday, 10/28 at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, 10/29 at 3:15 pm. Friday will also feature the annual Pink the Rink game where fans are encouraged to support the Razorbacks while wearing pink to fight cancer.

Arkansas Splits with Missouri State, Sweeps DBU to Start 2022-23 Campaign

After a month of practice and preparation, the Razorbacks opened the 2022-23 season on the road with a rivalry series against Missouri State. It would mark the first two games of the four game home-home season series between the two rivals, with the winner of the season series taking home the Battle of the Ozarks Trophy. After a rusty start to game one, the Hogs went back and forth with the Ice Bears for a combined 7 goals in the third period. The Hogs would ultimately drop game one of their MACHA division schedule, 6-5, and look to come out hard for game two of the Battle of the Ozarks.
Game two of the weekend featured a Razorback team looking to learn from their mistakes, and they did just that, scoring 2 goals in the first two minutes of the game. Junior goalie, Sam Haynes, shut down Missouri State as he stopped 23 of 25 shots. The Razorbacks dominated game two, defeating Missouri State 9-2. Sophomore forward Jason Gifford earned player of the game honors as he notched his first career ACHA goal.
The Razorbacks would have a week off following the road trip to Missouri State as they prepared for their home opener series against Dallas Baptist.
The Razorbacks’ home opener was highlighted with a ceremonial puck drop honoring Chip Excell, a longtime ACHA and professional official who lost his leg last May in a motorcycle accident. A sluggish 1st period saw the Razorbacks trailing DBU 3-1. The Hogs regrouped during the 1st intermission and came out in the 2nd period with 5 unanswered goals. The Hogs would ultimately continue their domination with 3 more goals as they put DBU to bed, 9-4, winning their first MACHA game of the season. Junior goalie Sam Haynes earned player of the game honors.
Game two against DBU saw much of the same result we experienced in game one, as sophomore goalie Grady Reis, and the Hogs cruised past DBU, 8-4 thanks to four goals by senior defenseman Cameron McAtee. This series saw breakthrough performances from the rookies when freshmen forwards Connor Chapman and Matthew Edestrand, scored their first collegiate goals during game one, and freshman defenseman Ethan Rogers earned player of the game honors in game two.
The Hogs moved to 18-0 all time against the Patriots. Arkansas will travel to in November to complete the season series between the two clubs. After the first two weekends of the season, the Razorbacks are 3-1 (1-1 in MACHA play). Per MACHA rules, when opponents play more than two games per season, the Friday contest will count toward division standings. The Hogs look to continue their early success this season as they gear up for another home-stand against another MACHA division opponent, the University of Missouri, as senior forward Griffin Sugasawara looks to notch his 100th career ACHA goal.


You can catch the Hogs live this Friday, 10/7 at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, 10/8 at 3:15 pm at the
Jones Center in Springdale, or live on YouTube.

Arkansas Hockey announces FundRazor to raise funds for 2022-23 season

Arkansas Hockey announced today that they are starting a campaign to raise funds for their upcoming season. The goal of the campaign is to raise 20,000$ to help fund the programs upcoming season.

“Like many other sports at the University of Arkansas, the men’s ice hockey team is consistently at the top of the national rankings, wins championships, and is loved by Razorback fans” said team captain Zach Wilson. “However, unlike those other teams, being a club team, the hockey team does not receive the funding that the other programs do. Because of this, our club relies on payments from the players as well as ticket and jersey sales from our faithful fans to fund the entirety of our seasons” added team assistant captain Cameron McAtee.

Much of the teams funds go into paying for the extensive travel that is required for MACHA competition and to play other elite teams around the country. The teams success over their history, especially the last two seasons, has given them more of a prominent name, and top schools are reaching out wanting to play Arkansas. For example, this year the team received an invite to play in Miami of Ohio’s invitational Showcase with only the top teams in the nation being invited. “Showcases like these are what helps prepare our team by playing against the top teams in the nation, so that we can improve and be ready to beat them again during our National Tournament” McAtee said.

Another expense that the players are hoping to offset is the extensive cost of outfitting a team of this number with jerseys, socks, pants, gloves, equipment such as sticks and tape, etc. Coach Sims had this to add about equipment: “With us establishing ourselves as an elite hockey club, these are the things we need to provide so that we can perform at a high level on the ice and attract top level talent to our school.”

Please follow this link to find out more about the FundRazor, and if you can spare it, donate to Arkansas Hockey! Anything helps, even a share on your social media to help get the word out about the FundRazor and your favorite hockey team in Arkansas!

The Razorbacks announce return to Little Rock for 2022 Red vs White Game

Arkansas Hockey is pleased to announce they will be returning to Little Rock for their annual Red vs White intra-squad scrimmage to complete their training camp. The Razorbacks will travel to Central Arkansas on August 27th for their scrimmage, which will complete the end of the days events for Hockey Day in Little Rock, which is being held by the Arkansas Hockey Association (AHA) to grow the game in Arkansas.
Coach Sims is excited about returning to Little Rock again to open the teams season. “Anytime we can do anything to help grow the game in this area, we are happy to get involved. We are able to help out with NWAHA (Northwest Amateur Hockey Association) because we share the same facility, but it’s a little harder for us to get involved with the AHA due to the distance.”
Last year marked the first year the AHA held their Hockey Day in Little Rock, and it was also the first time The Razorbacks would hold their Red vs White Scrimmage at the Arkansas Skatium. “Any time we come to Central Arkansas to play, the support is unbelievable, and the crowd last year was no different”. Sims added: “Thats one of the best parts about The University of Arkansas, the support all over this state for The Hogs is incredible”.
The events of the day will start at 12:00 pm and can be found below. All proceeds from the event will go to support the AHA and the growth of hockey in central Arkansas. When speaking about the upcoming event, AHA Board Member and parent had this to say: “Last year was so much fun and was a great kick off to the hockey season. (The) players were great ambassadors for both the university and for ice hockey in our state.”
Please join us as we start off our 2021-22 campaign and help support the AHA!

Don’t forget, the Arkansas Hockey Razorfund closes in five days! Follow this link to find out more about the FundRazor, and if you can spare it, donate to Arkansas Hockey! Anything helps, even a share on your social media to help get the word out about the FundRazor and your favorite hockey team in Arkansas! The Razorbacks are close to meeting their goal for the 2022-23 season!

Tickets are available at the door, or in advance here!
Event Schedule:
12:00 PM- For the Love of the Game (game)
1:30 PM-   AHA Youth Red vs White Game
3:00 PM-   Mens League All-Star Game
4:30 PM- Razorback Red vs White Game

Multiple Hogs Honored with All-American and All-Conference Honors

Several Razorbacks were honored with All-American and All-Conference awards at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. At both the conference and ACHA level; All-American, All-Division, MVP, and COTY awards are determined by a coaches vote at the conclusion of the season.

Senior Defensemen and Assistant Captain, Cameron McAtee, was named a First Team All-American by the ACHA and received All-MACHA South honors. McAtee recorded 61 points on 27 goals and 34 assists in the regular season. He added 5 points in 4 games in the National Tournament.

Senior Forward and Team Captain, Zach Wilson, received All-MACHA South Honors. Wilson recorded 58 points on 20 goals and 38 assists during the regular season. He recorded 2 points in 4 games at the National Tournament.

Senior Forward and Assistant Captain, Griffin Sugasawara, was named a Second Team All-American by the ACHA. Sugasawara recorded 58 points on 28 goals and 30 assists in the regular season. He recorded 4 goals in 4 games at the National Tournament.

Senior Goalie, Jozef Dusenka, was named a Second Team All-American by the ACHA. He obtained a 12-0-1 record with a 1.73 goals against average and a .924 save percentage during the regular season. He started all four games for the Hogs at the National Tournament.

Head Coach, Keller Sims, was named the MACHA South Coach of the Year and the ACHA Coach of the Year. Arkansas finished with an overall record of 29-3-2. The Razorbacks qualified for their fourth National Tournament in Coach Sims fifth year behind the bench.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association. The 2021-22 season will be the team’s fifteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be viewed here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR.

Arkansas Season Ends in National Semi-Final

The Razorback’s season came to a conclusion following an overtime loss to eventual National Champion, Hope College, in the National Semifinals. The game would see the Hogs jump out to a 2-0 lead early. The two teams traded momentum back and forth throughout the game, but Hope was eventually able to claw their way back and tie the game. Arkansas controlled the pace of the overtime and out-chanced The Dutchmen early. Unfortunately, the tightly contested affair came to an end midway through the first overtime frame when Hope netted the game winner on the power play.

Prior to the semifinals, Arkansas won their round robin pool on the backs of overtime victories over The University of Miami (Ohio) and Notre Dame. Arkansas began their National Tournament with a nail bitter against Miami (OH). In a physical and tightly attested affair, the hogs would claim the crucial extra point with a goal from senior defensemen Kevin LaPlante with just under a minute remaining.

Arkansas would stumble in the second game against The University of Nebraska. The Cornhuskers were back stopped by an incredible goaltending performance and they were able to withstand the Razorbacks assault despite being outshot 3 to 1.

In the final game of pool play the Razorbacks (1-1) found themselves tied late with Notre Dame (2-0), who would advance with a win or a tie. With just over a minute remaining in the overtime period, the Hogs pulled their goalie to add the extra attacker, and quickly afterwards junior Michael Ellis netted the game winner to send Arkansas through to the semi’s with the tie breaker over Notre Dame.

This National Tournament marked the fourth appearance in the past five seasons, and seventh overall in program history. After a National Runner Up finish in 2020-21, the Hogs advanced to the Frozen Four for the second year in a row. Despite falling short of their goal of winning their first national championship, the Razorbacks claimed plenty of hardware during the 2021-22 season.

In their first season of competition in their new conference (The MACHA), the Hogs would claim the MACHA South Division Title, the MACHA Regular Season Championship, and the MACHA Conference Tournament Championship. After years of strong competition and a tense on-ice rivalry, Missouri State and Arkansas put a name to their Rivalry, The Battle of the Ozarks. The Hogs would win the inaugural Battle of the Ozarks Trophy on the backs of an 2-1-1 record against Missouri State in the regular season. Arkansas also brought home the Route 66 Showcase Championship.

Arkansas will look to regroup over the offseason and look forward to another successful campaign in 2022-23. Stay tuned to our social media channels for all offseason updates!

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association. The 2021-22 season will be the team’s fifteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be viewed here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR.

Arkansas wins first MACHA Championship, head to National Tournament as #4 seed.

Your Razorbacks wrapped up the 2021-22 regular season by winning their first MACHA championship with a 5-2 win over Missouri State in the tournament final. Winners of six SECHC titles, this was the first season for Arkansas as members of the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA) due to cancelation of the conference regular season and conference tournament in 2020-21. Arkansas secured the top seed in the tournament by going undefeated in South Division play and securing the highest national ranking (#3) of all MACHA tournament teams.

The Hogs opened the weekend with a 5-0 victory over (#16) Washington University of St. Louis. Senior goalie Jozef Dusenka recorded the shutout as the Hogs dominated the full 60 minutes to start the tournament on the right foot. Next, the Hogs would draw (#6) University of New Mexico. Again, the Hogs dictated the pace of play on their way to a 5-1 victory. In the championship game, Arkansas and (#21) Missouri State traded goals early before the hogs ultimately pulled ahead, securing a 5-2 victory and an auto-bid to the National Tournament. Dusenka was named the MVP of the tournament. He allowed 3 goals in 3 wins, with 1 shutout.

This past week your Arkansas Razorbacks found out their opening round opponents following the release of the final ACHA rankings. The Hogs earned the #4 seed in the country and will serve as the top seed in their pool. The Razorbacks will face off against #5 Notre Dame, #12 Nebraska, and #13 Miami of Ohio. Arkansas swept Nebraska in two games at home earlier this season and won their lone game with Miami (OH) 5-1 in the Route 66 Classic.

The first round of the ACHA National Tournament consists of the top 16 teams in the country divided into 4 pools of 4 teams. Each team will play the other members of their pool, with the winner of each advancing to the semifinals. Winners of each semifinal game will advance to the deciding championship game. Arkansas will look to improve on their best finish in program history last season, where they finished 2nd, losing to Hope College in the National Championship game.

All games will be held at Centene Community Ice Center in St. Louis, MO. All games will also be broadcast on Hockey TV, which unfortunately requires a paid subscription. Come out and support your Razorbacks and let’s build a home ice advantage in St. Louis!

National Tournament Schedule

Thursday 3/10 5:45 PM vs #13 Miami(OH) 

Friday 3/11 5:15 PM vs #12 Nebraska 

Saturday 3/12 8:45 PM vs #5 Notre Dame 

Monday 3/14- Semifinal 2:15 PM*

Tuesday 3/15- Championship 3:00 PM*

*if advance

Rink location: 750 Casino Center Dr, Maryland Heights, MO 63043

Nationals ticket information can be found HERE

Nationals broadcast information can be found HERE

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association. The 2021-22 season will be the team’s fifteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be viewed here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR.

#4 Razorbacks Close Out Fall Semester with Sweep of Missouri

Photo credits to @_baumology_

The #4 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks made the trip up to Missouri this past weekend, to take on division-rivals Missouri Tigers. Arkansas opened the scoring with a power play goal from assistant captain Jake Sharrer. Zach Wilson would double the Hog lead with 30 seconds remaining in the 1st period, finishing off a perfect feed from Brad Estrada. Both Griffin Sugasawara and Jacob Heuerman got in on the scoring in the first five minutes of the 2nd period, giving Arkansas the 4-0 lead. Missouri would answer shortly after, cutting into the lead with a goal of their own. Arkansas would run away with the game thanks to a flurry of goals from Estrada, Cameron McAtee, and Kyle Crews. Mizzou scored two goals early in the 3rd period, followed by three-straight goals from McAtee. Arkansas skated to a 10-4 win and goalie Jozef Dusenka took home the win.

Saturday’s game saw Missouri come out with the only goal of a hard-fought 1st period. Assistant captain Zach Wilson got Arkansas on the board in the 2nd period, followed by Cameron McAtee and Kyle Crews goals. Wilson would add another 15 seconds into the 3rd period, giving Arkansas the 4-1 lead early in the final frame. Mizzou capitalized on special teams midway through the 3rd period, tying the game at 4. However, the Hogs turned it on in the final 11 minutes, scoring 4 goals to finish off the sweep of rival Missouri. McAtee, Griffin Sugasawara, Nick Valentini, and Kyle Patterson all scored 3rd period goals. Grady Reis came away with the win in net.

Arkansas is off for the holiday break, but will return January 21st and 22nd at home against Dallas Baptist University. Arkansas then heads just up the road to Missouri State the following weekend, before finishing off the regular season with senior weekend against Kansas on February 4th and 5th. The MACHA tournament will take place February 11th-13th, and the ACHA National Tournament will be held March 10th-15th. Both tournaments will be hosted by Maryville University at the Maryville University Hockey Center in Chesterfield, MO.

The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association. The 2021-22 season will be the team’s fifteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be viewed here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR.