The #1 Arkansas Razorbacks (28-3-0) traveled to Springfield, MO this past weekend to take on Missouri State (12-9-1) Friday and Saturday. Friday’s game got started with a Missouri State power play goal just 3 minutes into the contest. The Hogs would bounce back with just over 5 minutes remaining in the 1st period as Dominic de la Guardia propelled Michael Ellis in on a 2-on-1, who gave a perfect pass to Zach Riley for the tying goal. The 2nd period started with a 1-1 tie but did not last long. Chris Stovall picked up a loose puck and fed it to Griffin Sugasawara for a breakaway goal early in the 2nd period. That was all the Razorbacks would need for the 2-1 win, as goalie Jozef Dusenka stopped 19 of 20 shots for his 13th win of the season.
Arkansas looked for the season sweep on Saturday. The beginning of the game looked much the same as Friday’s, as Missouri State took the early 1-0 lead on a power play goal. It wasn’t until 7 minutes into the 2nd period that the Hogs would finally break through on a goal from Kevin LaPlante. Chris Stovall, Evan Kerr, and Cameron McAtee would each go on to score a goal in a span of just 3:21 to give Arkansas a 4-1 lead at the end of the 2nd period. After a back-and-forth 3rd period, Zach Wilson scored on a deflection, sealing the 5-1 victory for the Razorbacks. Alex Kalmes stopped 20 of 21 shots for his 11th win of the season.
This weekend the Hogs host DII East Texas Baptist University (21-1-1) at The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, AR. ETBU has visited Northwest Arkansas just once before, taking on the DI Razorbacks in 2016-17, with Arkansas getting the best of the Tigers 19-1 and 11-0 in a 2-game series. The Hogs have not hosted a game since November 16th, making it 76 days between home games. This weekend’s games will be the last tune up before the SECHC Tournament in Nashville, TN the following weekend. Friday’s game starts at 7:30 pm and Saturday’s game starts at 3:05 pm.
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.
