On October 11 and 12, 2013, the Ice Hogs (6-2-0) played host to the University of North Texas (Division II, 8-3-0). The Mean Green entered the series with just one loss and, for its part, Arkansas entered the weekend hoping to preserve its undefeated streak at home — a streak that dates back to October 11, 2011.
In game 1 on Friday night, the Hogs carried the play from the beginning — outshooting North Texas 22-8 in the first period and posting a 2-0 lead by the first intermission behind goals from Taylor Jones and Mason Brower. North Texas responded with a pair of goals of its own in the second period and outshot Arkansas 15-10. In the final stanza, Arkansas notched two more goals (on 18 shots) before UNT (7 shots) could respond with one of its own. Kevin Scheer earned the victory in goal. The 4-3 Razorback victory extended the team’s current winning streak to five games.
Game 2 was a less competitive tilt. The first period of Saturday night’s contest initially foretold a repeat of Friday’s seesaw affair as the teams traded goals en route to a 3-2 Arkansas lead at the end of the first frame. But Arkansas unloaded six straight unanswered goals in the final forty minutes to secure the sweep. The dominant 9-2 victory saw the Hogs amass 47 shots (102 on the weekend) behind a hat trick from Mason Brower. Spencer Mulgrew earned the victory in net. The Saturday victory pushed the Hogs’ home winning streak to 19 games across a remarkable two-year period.
Next up for Arkansas is a formidable road test that will see the team play four games in three days. First up is the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (Division II) on Saturday followed by a pair of games on Sunday–UWO in the morning followed by Marquette in the evening. Marquette is not only a contender in the Pacific Region, but also qualified for Nationals during the 12-13 season. The Hogs close out the road swing on Monday night with a second game against Marquette.
Arkansas returns home to the Jones Center on October 25 & 26 to take on Ole Miss for its first conference games. The games against Ole Miss mark the first time the Razorbacks have hosted an SEC opponent since the 2011-12 season.
