The #1 Arkansas Razorbacks (31-3-0) got the SECHC tournament started with a bang, outpacing the #8 University of Tennessee Volunteers (10-7-1) in Friday afternoon’s matchup. The Hogs got on the board early as Zach Wilson put home a rebound 6 minutes into the game. In the same shift, Chris Stovall would put Arkansas up 2-0, then he would add another goal on the next shift for a 3-0 lead with 8 minutes remaining in the period. 4 minutes later, Griffin Sugasawara added a 4th goal for the Razorbacks. Arkansas would fall into penalty trouble late in the period, giving up 2 goals to the Volunteers, and heading into the intermission leading 4-2.
After killing off the remainder of a penalty to start the 2nd, the Hogs got right back to business with Dakota Gottlieb scoring on a turnover. Trevor McLain would follow that up with a perfectly placed shot into the top right corner of the net. Sugasawara then scored two goals in 15 seconds to complete the hat trick, and Wilson added his 2nd of the game for a 9-2 lead. Those 5 goals came in a matter of just 3:11. Chris Stovall’s goal with 5 minutes remaining in the period put the Hogs up 10-2 heading into the final period.
Going into the 3rd period, the Hogs kept the train rolling. Chris Stovall would complete his hat trick and Sugasawara would net his 4th of the afternoon. Evan Kerr would score back-to-back goals and Alex Deguire would give the Hogs a 14-2 lead. Zach Wilson finished off the afternoon with his 3rd goal, finishing off a 15-2 rout of Tennessee. Alex Kalmes was strong in net, stopping 16 of 18 shots for his 13th win of the season. The Stovall-Sugasawara-Wilson line was huge for the Razorbacks, accounting for 10 of the 15 goals and 20 points between the three forwards. That is the 31st victory of the season for the Razorbacks, tying a program record set in 2013-14.
Next for the Razorbacks is the #4 University of Georgia Bulldogs(14-10-2). The two teams will face-off Saturday night at 6:30pm. Both teams met in the Rocket City Collegiate Showcase in Huntsville, Alabama on October 26th, with Arkansas pulling out the 4-3 victory. The all-time series between the two schools is an even 4-4. The game will be streamed live here: Penalty Box Radio Facebook Page
The University of Arkansas Men’s Hockey team plays in the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference. The 2019-20 season will be the team’s thirteenth season as a member of the ACHA competing in Division III. The team’s schedule can be found here. All home games are played at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale.
