FAYETTEVILLE — Ever seen a pig on ice?
It may sound awkward and provide a strange image, but the Arkansas ice hockey team looks just fine on the rink.
The University of Arkansas club hockey team, comprised of 25 students, will attempt to make school history today in Germain Arena in Fort Meyers, Fla.
It’s the site of the club’s first ever appearance in the national championship tournament, set aside for 16 of the best teams in the nation.
Arkansas (27-5) quickly rose to the top of the Southeastern ranks in the American Collegiate Hockey Association this spring, winning the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference championship in just the club’s second year of existence. The club, designated Division III, also welcomed a new coaching staff and philosophy this fall.
“One of our biggest strengths these last eight months has been our ability to grow together as a hockey family,” associate head coach Brian Gallini said. “It happened quicker than people guessed.”
And it necessarily hasn’t been a smooth road for Arkansas, which opens pool play in the national championship today at 10 a.m. against the University of Colorado.
There was overcoming preconceived expectations, realities of installing a new system and the toughest obstacle of all — finding the money to keep the club alive.
HOCKEY, EH?
Brian Gallini admits it, and perhaps he’s still shocked by what’s happened on the ice rink at the Jones Center in Springdale.
Gallini, a former coach at the University of Pennsylvania, was asked for his guidance and help with the Razorbacks’ club hockey team, a group of rag-tag hockey players mainly from Texas (15 Texans are listed on the roster) who assembled at the Jones Center.
Gallini moved to Arkansas in 2008, accepting a professorship at the university’s law school. He got out of coaching and didn’t figure he’d be leading a hockey team of any sort on any surface — let alone ice in the state of Arkansas — any time in the near future.
But he gave it a shot.
“This is probably my own northeastern stereotype showing through, but I, like so many other people, just didn't think there was good hockey to be played here in Arkansas,” said Gallini, 32.
Once he was asked for his guidance, Gallini soon realized there was a steep hill to climb. The hockey club at Arkansas previously, Gallini discovered, was disorganized. A new coach in Rick Desjardins was in place, though, and Gallini started drawing up plays. His 84-page playbook was soon devoured by the players on the club.
“They were all like sponges,” Gallini said.
“Even when I first started coaching I don't know if I had a good handle on how good we could be,” Gallini explained.
Soon, he’d find out. Arkansas was awed with the chance to play in the American Airlines Center in Dallas, the home of the NHL’s Stars franchise and even the feared teams in Division II began to become respectable matchups.
Then the team began to click, going undefeated against teams in the SEC. The team won an ACHA regional. Later, in the SECHC tournament, Arkansas trailed Florida in the championship game 2-1 after the second period but Brad McMahon scored a natural hat trick and Arkansas cruised to a 6-2 victory.
It snapped the Gators’ 17-game winning streak and gave Arkansas one of its first substantial pieces of hardware in its nonexistent trophy case.
The success, however, has hurt the players, Gallini said. Seeing the sights and getting wins in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La., have been great during the seven-month season, but the financial burden has taken its toll.
Players were required to pay $1,500 dues up front just to join the team last fall, and that didn’t include equipment and meal expenses on the road.
A trip to the ACHA regionals in Pelham, Ala., and the SEC championships piled on more expenditures on top of the wins. Reality had set in and facing them squarely in the face was the longest trip of the season — a 20-hour drive of roughly 1,261 miles to Fort Meyers, Fla. — for the national championships.
The cost? Only one price tag was certain: an $8,300 bus ride.
“The boys are penalized for their success,” Gallini said. “And by penalized, I mean financially.”
THE MONEY PIT
Success on the ice equaled more expenses for the Ice Hogs, and more expenses put players in uncomfortable positions. Faced with no other choice, the players began calling and begging parents for more money, Gallini said.
The Arkansas athletic department has been supportive, but is limited in its capacity to provide anything more than a verbal showing of support to the hockey club.
“There’s not a whole lot we can do,” Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long explained.
After all, the club is just that — one of 31 club sports within the intramural program at the university not associated with intercollegiate athletics.
Members of an Internet message board, however, have taken some initiative, Gallini said. An online fundraiser on Woopig.net began March 4, and on the eve of Arkansas’ first game in the national championships Wednesday, contributors at the site had raised $1,599, said Steve Jackson, owner and operator of Woopig.net.
“The bottom line is, pretty much anybody that has a Razorback on their jersey is going to be somebody we want to support,” Jackson said. “... If they've got Razorback on their jersey, we're going to check it out and we do what we can to help them, even if it's only exposure.”
The Ice Hogs traveled by bus to Florida on Sunday, stopping in Little Rock to practice at the Arkansas Skatium that evening. Members of Woopig.net arrived to show support, Jackson said.
“We’ve been so appreciative of what they’ve done,” Gallini said.
A SUPPORT SYSTEM
Interest from a fan standpoint has grown as Arkansas’ run through regionals and the SEC hit its highest point last week.
The message board Woopig.net, known for its members' sharp wit and unfiltered takes on sports, has several topics discussing the team and its national championship hopes. The interest in the team — and the sport, for that matter — on the boards began with the Olympics, Steve Jackson said. From there, interest grew and the recognition for the team couldn’t be overlooked.
“People need to know about it,” Jackson said. “Sure it's a club sport and all, but people still need to know about it. ... We’ve got a Razorback team that is competing for a national championship.”
Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long has also taken an interest in the team, providing vocal support from afar. He hopes to honor the team during an athletic event in the near future, he said.
“Club sports on college campuses are a great part of a university setting,” Long said. “I commend and congratulate the club team for their success. I'm very proud of them and while they are separate from our athletic program, they are still students on our campus and we are excited about the success of those student-athletes. ... That's all part of our great, vibrant student body.”
Meanwhile, reality will set in this morning for the team, Gallini said. Colorado (15-8-1), the No. 2 seed in Arkansas’ pool, is aggressive and one of the fastest teams they’ll face this season. Communication in the neutral zone will be key against the Buffaloes, Gallini said.
“From the tape we’ve seen, they’re a solid forechecking team that likes an up-tempo game,” Arkansas Coach Rick Desjardins told HockeyYall.com. “They’re a lot like us, five or six scorers deep.”
The championships, split in four pools of four teams, will run through Saturday. The winner of each pool will advance to the tournament’s own version of the Final Four for bragging rights and the national championship.
Arkansas is the fourth-seed in its pool, and is viewed as a heavy underdog entering the tournament. Realistically, it may be a shock to hockey enthusiasts if the Ice Hogs continued their winning ways and surpassed the top teams in Division III for a national championship.
Still, Gallini, with his New England point of view, feels good about the Razorbacks’ chances.
“'Shock' would be too strong a word,” Gallini said. “Maybe pleasantly surprised.”
ACHA Nationals Schedule
at Fort Myers, Fla
Wednesday
Colorado Buffaloes vs. Arkansas Razorbacks, 10 a.m. CT
Thursday
Hope Flying Dutchmen vs. Arkansas Razorbacks, 10 a.m. CT
Friday
Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Fredonia State Blue Devils, 7:15 a.m. CT
Saturday
Semifinals and championship games
On the Web
Live video of the ACHA Division III National Championships is available on FastHockey.com.