Last weekend, the Hogs took three of four games on a historic four game trip south. On Friday, November 9, the Razorbacks took on the Ole Miss Rebels. Although the game was knotted 1-1 after two periods, Arkansas scored three unanswered goals en route to a 4-1 win. The Razorbacks then took on arch-rival Alabama on November 10 and played a tight game through two periods. Again, the Hogs found themselves in a 1-1 tie at the end of two but, again, exploded in the third period–this time scoring five straight unanswered goals to defeat the ninth ranked Crimson Tide by a score of 6-1.
Sunday began with an early game against the seventh ranked Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. The see-saw game had the Hogs leading 1-0 after the first period and 3-2 after the second period. The Eagles tied it up with 2:49 remaining in the period, which sent the game into a five minute sudden death overtime. The teams traded chances during the overtime, but a costly penalty on the Razorbacks gave the Eagles a late powerplay and, with only 9.3 seconds remaining in the extra session, the Eagles capitalized by scoring the game winner.
The Hogs rebounded quickly–very quickly–when they took on Auburn University just a few hours later and defeated the Tigers handily by a 10-2 score. The three wins and overtime loss pushed the Razorbacks’ overall record to 11-7-1.
This weekend, the Hogs return home and welcome rival Missouri State. The Hogs swept the Division III Ice Bears the last time the two teams hooked up during the 2011-12 season, but this is a new years. The Bears have posted an impressive 11-5-0 overall record thus far this season and earned an equally impressive #4 national ranking in the Pacific Region. The Bears’ potent offensive attack is led by Brian Leslie (13 G, 12 A), Ryan Gannon (5 G, 18 A), and Richard Westcott (12 G, 4 A). Arkansas is 5-3 lifetime against the Division III Bears.
The pair of games against the Bears mark two of the final four home games in the first semester. The Razorbacks will not return to the Jones Center again until December 7 & 8 when they take on the University of Memphis. Game times for both games on Friday and Saturday are 7:30 pm. Tickets are available for sale at the rink on the day of the game. General seating tickets are $8, standing room only is $5, and students with an ID are admitted for $3. More detailed ticket information is available here.