The Arkansas Razorbacks (17-1-0) won all three games of the Rocket City Collegiate Showcase this past weekend in Huntsville, AL. Game one of the showcase pitted the Hogs against arch-rival Alabama (4-3-0) on Friday night, and Arkansas jumped out to a 3-0 lead after just one period. Alex Kueser opened the scoring, followed by goals from Trevor McLain and Shaun Foster. Alabama scored their first goal of the evening, but Griffin Sugasawara answered back to give the Hogs a 4-1 lead heading into the second frame. McLain notched his second and third goals of the evening in the second period, giving Arkansas a 6-1 lead and earning him a hat trick in four consecutive games. Entering the third period, the Hogs continued to batter Alabama, scoring five more goals to secure the 11-1 victory. Evan Kerr recorded two goals and Chris Stovall, Tyler Valdron, and Alex Kueser each recorded a goal in the third period. Jozef Dusenka recorded twelve saves on thirteen shots for his eighth win of the season.
Saturday would see the Hogs face off against the Georgia Bulldogs (7-4-1). Georgia jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Hogs came back to tie the game with goals from Alex Deguire and Alex Kueser. Georgia scored the only goal of the second period, earning them a 3-2 lead heading into the final period. That lead would not last long, as Zach Wilson tied the game on the power play just forty-five seconds into the third period. Chris Stovall scored the game-winner with just over five minutes left in the game to give the Razorbacks a 4-3 win. Alex Kalmes came up big in net, stopping 26 of 29 shots and killing off multiple penalties in the final minutes of the game. He earned his eigth win of the season.
The final game for the Hogs on Sunday morning came against the Florida Gators (5-5-0). Zach Wilson opened the scoring with the lone goal of the first period. Dylan Odelein scored the Hogs’ second goal just sixteen seconds into the first period, giving Arkansas the 2-0 lead heading into the third period. Florida scored with four minutes remaining in the regulation to cut the Razorback lead in half, but Arkansas stood tall in the final minutes to secure the 2-1 victory. Jozef Dusenka turned away 35 of 36 shots for his ninth win of the season.
The Razorbacks are off this weekend before making the short drive to Springfield, MO for the Route 66 Showcase November 6th– 8th. While there, they will face three Pacific Region rivals, including Washington University of St. Louis (2-6-0), University of New Mexico (4-6-0), and Colorado School of Mines (3-1-2).
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.
