The Razorback Hockey team is pleased to announce G-Max Barr as the first 2017-2018 Arkansas commit. At 6’4” 205 lbs., the right-catching goalie from Wilmington, MA, adds both size and experience to the roster.
Barr recently completed his junior career playing for the Long Beach Bombers in the Western States Hockey League. Playing for the Bombers, Barr recorded a 2.31 Goals Against Average and .908 Save Percentage en route to a 16-1 overall record.
In an interview before joining the Bombers, Barr described his strengths as a hockey player: “One of my greatest strengths is my mental game, and the way I can overcome adversity. I’m a very calm goalie, and rarely get rattled in games.”
Before his time with the Bombers, Barr accrued substantial junior experience in a career that took him across the country (and Canada). At fifteen, Barr played for the Salem Ice Dogs in the Empire Junior Hockey League. Thereafter, he spent seasons with the Boston Junior Bruins, Phillips Exeter Academy, the Connecticut Yankees of the USPHL, and the Richmond Generals of the USPHL-Elite.
During the 2015-2016 season, Barr spent half a season with the Blind River Beavers in the NOJHL before joining the Chicago Cougars of the USPHL Midwest and then finishing his season with the West Michigan Wolves in the NA3HL. Across the totality of his junior career, Barr has started more than 100 games.
Hockey was a big part of Barr’s childhood, as he started skating at just four years old. A couple years later, he starting playing hockey and began playing in goal by age seven. Barr credits his cousin, who was also a goalie, as a source for his motivation. He describes hockey as big part of his family’s traditions.
Said Barr, “I was considering other ACHA programs, as well as NCAA DIII schools, but after I visited the school, met the players and coaches, and learned about Coach Gallini’s plans for the program, I immediately knew it was the right place for me. I never thought, coming from New England, that I would be attending an SEC school.”
The University of Arkansas is the only SEC school to field two hockey teams. The Division I team has, since 2015, competed in the Western Collegiate Hockey Conference (learn more here). The Division III team will in 2017-18 begin its eleventh season competing in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference (learn more here). All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.
