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 24th 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.
