Tag: Utah Hockey Club

Struggling Sharks Stun Utah HC in OT For First Win 5-4 at Delta Center

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San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund (72) skates around the corner with Utah Hockey Club’s defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) in the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Mon Oct 28, 2024 (AP News photo)

San Jose Mounts Epic 3rd Period Comeback To End 9-Game Losing Streak

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Monday night’s faceoff at Delta Center in Salt Lake City featured two teams badly in need of a victory. The Utah Hockey Club came into the match having lost five of their previous six games, and the visiting San Jose Sharks had lost all nine of their contests so far this season.

The Sharks snapped their nine game losing streak with a 5-4 overtime win at the Delta Center on Monday against the Utah Hockey Club. Utah has now lost six of it’s last seven games.

Inside the arena there were a fair number of teal jerseys adorned with names like Marleau, Thornton, Pavelski, Burns, and Clowe. The fans wearing them, however, might not have recognized too many of the names on the backs of the Sharks players on the ice.

Exactly 11 minutes into the opening frame, Utah forward Dylan Guenther opened the scoring with a blistering shot past San Jose goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, assisted by captain Clayton Keller. The goal was Guenther’s sixth of the season, ending a multiple game drought for the Utah sniper.

At 16:24 of the first, Utah forward Matias Maccelli netted his first goal of the season, assisted by Ian Cole and Nick Schmaltz, extending the lead to 2-0 going into the period break.

About halfway into the second period, San Jose forward Fabian Zetterlund found the back of the net to get the Sharks onto the scoreboard and cut the deficit in half, assisted by Danil Gushchin and Henry Thrun.

Moments later, Utah regained their two-goal lead as Matias Maccelli netted his second of the game, assisted by Ian Cole and Vladislav Kolyachonok. With 24 seconds left in the period, Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev found a hole through traffic and increased Utah’s lead to 4-1 with his first goal of the season, assisted by Vladislav Kolyachonok and Logan Cooley.

For most of the 3rd period, the two squads exchanged chances as both goaltenders kept opposing offenses at bay. With five minutes remaining in regulation, headlines had already been written about San Jose’s ten game losing streak and how long the agony might continue. On the ice, however, there was time still left on the clock and the Sharks feverishly went to work closing the gap.

Fabian Zetterlund began the comeback at 15:28, narrowing Utah’s lead to 4-2 with his second goal of the night, assisted by Mikael Granlund and Jake Walman. Just 25 seconds later, Mikael Granlund cut the deficit to 4-3, assisted by Jake Walman and William Eklund.

Finally, a minute and twenty five seconds later, Tyler Toffoli tied things up with his fifth goal of the season, assisted by Jake Walman and Alex Wennberg. Altogether the three-goal surge took just one minute and fifty seconds overall, and the 3rd period came to a close with the score tied 4-4.

At 1:19 of the overtime period, Utah’s Michael Kesselring committed a hooking penalty against William Eklund, giving the Sharks a 4-on-3 advantage. Just seven seconds later, Alex Wennberg capitalized on the power play, stunning the Utah crowd and giving San Jose its first victory of the season while Utah has now lost six of their past seven contests.

Utah Hockey Club head coach André Tourigny was asked how to explain the last five minutes of the game. “I can’t. Let’s give them credit, they put pucks in the net, they got their bones. The way we played in the third period, it’s tough to explain. We stopped putting pressure. We let them play with the puck. We let them make plays. We stopped defending like we can do, and the puck ended up in the back of our net.”

When asked whether the breakdown was mental or physical, Tourigny responded, ”No, it’s mental. It’s 100% mental. It started with a turnover in the neutral zone, then they got two scoring chances out of it, and then the faceoff in our zone, they pulled their goalie, they scored off that play, and it’s a snowball effect from there.” So how does Utah HC move on? ”I think first before moving on, I think we need to, we need to unpack that. That’s not who we are. That’s not who we want to be. It’s [not how we want to play] in front of our fans. Give credit to San Jose, but like I said, that’s not who we want to be. You have that kind of a lead, it’s not the way we want to play, it’s not who we want to be.”

In the visitors’ locker room, San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky described his his first NHL win. “Relief, I think, was the biggest thing. Look, I didn’t really do much. The players–credit to them. They stuck with it. There were times we did some really, really good things and just didn’t get rewarded for it. But we stuck with it. We just kept playing. That’s got to be our mindset; we’re never going to give up.”

Speaking of Fabian Zetterlund’s impact in the game, Warsofsky commented, “He does that a lot of the time; he’s vocal on the bench, he’s keeping our guys engaged, he works extremely hard. For him to get rewarded with that goal was nice. That’s how he needs to play every single night. I think he had one of his best games tonight.”

Continuing to comment about Zetterlund’s productivity, Warsofsky added, “He hasn’t complained once. Just puts his head down and goes to work. That’s what we need. He’s done some really good things. I think there’s a whole other level he can get to. And we’re going to keep pushing him. We’re challenging him to get there. He’s been good for us.”

San Jose’s head coach spoke of the team having its faith rewarded. “That’s what we said after the second period: whoever plays the simplest is going to have the most success in the third period. I can’t tell you if we’re going to win or lose the game, but I think we’ll have the most success. I think we kept our game extremely simple, North-South, hard puck plays, we got pucks to the net. We just stuck with it. Credit to the guys.”

Does winning feel good? “(There’s) relief and belief. We got a group of guys (in the locker room) that are going to believe a lot more now. That’s what this is all about. When you go into sporting events, you’ve got to believe that you can win a hockey game. No matter what the situation is, you can believe. And…it’s not just a feeling. It’s in your mind, it’s in your heart, it’s in your soul…We can get that going here.”

Sharks forward Alexander Wennberg also spoke with media after the game. “Obviously, you can’t go too long without winning. It’s been tough for sure. But at the end of the day, this is what we’ve been talking about–show character. We were down 4-1 and found a way to win the game. It was a really great effort. At the end of the day, you don’t say how you win, you’ve just got to win the game. Obviously right now, it’s a good feeling. Amazing. But here’s the thing: there’s a game tomorrow as well. Obviously, we’re going to enjoy this. It’s a lot of good things. But we’re back at it again tomorrow. For the (win-loss) record, you’ve got to win games. But for us, there’s a lot of good things. Obviously, we’re shooting a lot more pucks, creating chances and (won) the game. But there’s a lot of good things, goaltending and everything. A lot of good things to build on. This is what we’ve been talking about. We just have to stay consistent and do that every game.”

Tyler Toffoli, who scored the game-tying goal, commented, “I think that we played a really good game overall. I think we had really good opportunities. Just a couple unfortunate bounces and we were down. I don’t think we needed to, technically, score those goals and the end of the game with how we played. I think we just have to keep building off it. Obviously, it feels great. It’s one of those things that we talk about, even when we weren’t winning games, to be consistent with our game. We play tomorrow.” With regard to his goal, Toffoli added, “Like the other ones, just getting shots through. We have plays drawn up and spots to be. That’s where I was supposed to be and (the puck) came right to me.”

Fabian Zetterlund was asked when he started to believe in the comeback. “Probably after I scored my second goal. We saw a chance. I don’t know how much time was left…We saw an opportunity and we just believed. We went out there, stuck to our plan and had fun. It went real well.”

The Sharks hope to build upon Monday night’s win as they return home to face the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

Utah will attempt to get back on track with a home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.

Utah Buried By Avalanche 5-1 Defensive woes continue for struggling Utah Hockey Club

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Utah Hockey Club forward Josh Doan (91) shoots the puck against the Colorado Avalanche defensemen Calvin de Haan (44) in the second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thu Oct 24, 2024 (AP News photo)

Utah Buried By Avalanche 5-1 Defensive woes continue for struggling Utah Hockey Club

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–On the heels of a perfect 3-0 start to the 2024-2025 NHL season, the Utah Hockey Club has come back down to earth losing four of the next five games including Thursday night’s 5-1 home loss to the visiting Colorado Avalanche, bringing their record to 4-3-1.

Netminder Karel Vejmelka got the start following his two shoutout periods of relief in Tuesday night’s loss to the Ottawa Senators.

Halfway through the first period the Avs took advantage of a tripping penalty against Ian Cole as forward Ross Colton scored his seventh goal on the season, assisted by Mikko Rantanen and Casey Mittelstadt.

Before Utah had a hockey team, many of its residents were followers of the Avalanche which was evidenced by the loud cheers for the power play goal. Colorado defenseman Cale Makar made it 2-0 near the end of the first period, assisted by Mikko Rantanen, his second of the game, and Nikolai Kovalenko.

Utah HC fared no better in the second period of play. At 14:25 of the middle frame, Avs center Casey Mittelstadt put the puck past Vejmelka to make it 3-0, assisted by Sam Malinski and Nikolai Kovalenko, his second of the evening.

Late in the period, Makar drew a hooking penalty from Dylan Guenther which resulted in another Colorado power play goal by Ivan Ivan (yes, that’s his real name), the first goal of his NHL career, assisted by Nathan MacKinnon and Casey Mittelstadt, the third Avs player to record a second assist, to send Utah to the locker room facing a 4-0 deficit for the second time in two games.

With 4:32 remaining in the third period, Utah forward Lawson Crouse netted his 3rd goal of the season to put an end to his team’s scoring drought, assisted by Matias Maccelli and Ian Cole. Whatever hopes the hometown fans may have had for a late comeback, however, were dashed just 39 seconds later as Avs forward Joel Kiviranta put the game permanently out of reach with an unassisted shot which got past Vejmelka. Colorado goaltender Justus Annunen stopped 25 of 26 shots for the win.

Utah’s defense has struggled all season, surrendering four or more goals in five of their eight games thus far. Two key defensemen, John Marino and Sean Durzi, have undergone surgeries which will keep them out of the lineup until sometime next year.

Rookie defenseman Maveric Lamoureux, a 2022 first round draft pick by the then-Arizona Coyotes, made his NHL debut and was +1 for the night. In four games with the Tucson Roadrunners this season, Lamoureux notched two goals and one assist.

After the game, Lamoureux commented on making his NHL Debut: “Playing in my first NHL game is special. Even though we didn’t win, I’m always going to remember that game, that’s for sure.” On playing his first shift, Lamoureux said “I was kind of stressed.

I didn’t want to fall. But (it) was amazing going out there.” Making his NHL debut extra meaningful, his parents flew in for the game. “I had no idea. That was a big surprise. After morning skate, they were in Ryan Smith’s suite waiting for me. That was a surprise. They landed last night and I had no idea. I was really happy to see them.”

Speaking of the back-to back losses, Utah Hockey Club Head Coach André Tourigny commented, “They were just two different games. Like I said against Ottawa, it wasn’t our game at all. We worked hard, and we had a lot of good opportunities but we lacked execution. Tonight, the lack of execution kept going, but I did not like our effort, our emotion, our physicality, and our battle level. It’s disappointing.” Speaking of the team’s offensive, Tourigny added, “We tried to switch lines and do different things, but at the end of the day, we have to simplify…If you look at every game, our possession and offensive zones are great, but we don’t have enough volume. At some point, when we have an opportunity to take a shot, we cannot pass on it. We need to be more selfish in those situations and put more pucks on the net that create habits for the non-carrier to go the net…The way we’re playing right now, we’re doing the reverse. We build the habits of our non-carrier to look for the passing option, and then now you don’t have traffic.”

Lawson Crouse, when asked what the team needs to change in order to shift the momentum, responded “We just have to get back to it…I think today was an example of us getting frustrated and trying to make up for it. We just have to get back to simple hockey, playing the right way, covering for each other. The goals will come. Obviously, we’ve got to keep them out of our net and that’s the biggest thing right now. You can’t win hockey games when we keep going down three, four nothing. It’s a tough league to come back in. Like I said, when that happens you feel like you have to make up for a play and it goes sideways quick. Obviously, we’ve got to stop it here, stop it tonight, learn from it, move on and get back to winning hockey.”

Following practice on Friday, Utah HC will fly to Los Angeles for a road game against the Kings on Saturday before returning home again on Monday to face the San Jose Sharks.

Utah goes O 4 Canada, gets blanked by Ottawa 4-0, First Utah home loss and first Ottawa road win for season

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Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot (72) winds up to shoot the puck against forward Alexander Kerfoot (15) and the Utah Hockey Club at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Oct 22, 2024 (AP News photo)

Coming into Tuesday night’s contest between the Ottawa Senators and Utah Hockey Club, fans of the NHL’s newest franchise had every reason for optimism with the team sporting a 4-1-1 record to start the season, just one point out of a tie for first place in the Central Division and undefeated on home ice.

Local recording artist Krispin Banks performed the first-ever rendition of O Canada for an NHL game at Delta Center, followed by a stirring rendition of the American national anthem, and everyone was ready for another great night of hockey. Unfortunately the Utah Hockey Club couldn’t seal the deal and not only that couldn’t score a goal on home ice getting shutout 4-0 at the Delta Center. Utah now with a 4-2-1 record.

The two teams traded chances to no avail throughout the first half of the first period until Noah Gregor and Jack McBain were each sent to the box for roughing penalties. That’s when it all went downhill for Utah HC. During the two-minutes of 4-on-4 play, Ottawa’s Drake Batherson and Claude Giroux each found the back of the Utah net to quickly put the Senators up 2-0.

Five minutes later, with Robert Bortuzzo serving a minor penalty for holding against Tim Stützle, Ridley Greig scored a power play goal to put the Senators up 3-0. Adding insult to injury, Brady Tkachuck made it 4-0 with eight seconds remaining in the opening frame.

Goaltender Karel Vejmelka replaced Connor Ingram to start the second period of play. Vejmelka had appeared in only one previous game so far this season, Utah’s only regulation loss to the New Jersey Devils. He turned away all 5 shots he faced in the second period, but Utah still faced a 4-0 deficit heading into the third period.

Utah HC has scored 5 or more goals in a game three times already this season, but they needed to pull it off all in one period if they were to mount a comeback against Ottawa, but this was not to be their night. Vejmelka stopped all 14 shots he faced in the third period, but the offense was unable to push the puck past Anton Forsberg of the Senators who was perfect against 31 shot attempts to record his first shutout of the season.

Following the game, Utah Hockey Club Head Coach André Tourigny spoke of a drop-off in his team’s focus. “I think we obviously came out strong, playing well, but we didn’t stay in the moment. We got carried away, a little bit soft, defensively, forced a play turnover, you know, and just we had them where we wanted. We played well. We just need to stay patient, stay humble, go one shift at a time, and we got ahead of ourselves and we paid for it.”

With regard to pulling goalie Connor Ingram after the first period, Tourigny added, “Everybody in life has bad days at the office sometimes. And I think when you’re a goaltender, you’re exposed more than anybody else. So I think you need to make the right decision for the team. It’s nothing personal.”

Karel Vejmelka addressed his mindset entering the game in a relief role. “Obviously it’s not easy, but I try to be prepared to play. Like any other game, just be ready anytime. So just try to focus for the first shot and get into it.”

Team captain Clayton Keller commented on the inevitability of games such as this one. “You know it’s going to happen. It’s a long season. You can’t get frustrated, you got to stay patient. Get better every day and good things happen.”

In the other locker room, winning netminder Anton Forsberg commented on his first visit to Salt Lake City as an NHL city. “It was a nice arena. We had a good day yesterday and went to some nice coffee shops. So I didn’t see a lot but it seems like a good city. I’m happy to be able to come out here. It’s been one of the cities I haven’t visited yet, so that’s great.”

Moving forward, Utah HC hopes that visiting teams enjoy the city while finding Delta Center itself far less hospitable on the ice.

Having lost for the first time at home, Utah now gears up to face division rival Colorado Avalanche on Thursday at the Delta Center.

Utah Endures To The End With Third Overtime Victory, Edge Gritty Bruins 2-1 At Delta Center

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The Utah Hockey Club celebrates a tying goal in the third period that later forced overtime against the Boston Bruins at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sat Oct 19, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Utah Hockey Club returned home Saturday night to face the Boston Bruins following the franchise’s first road trip which began with overtime victories in New York against the Islanders and Rangers before falling to the New Jersey Devils followed by an overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Utah scored five or more goals in each of their first three games of the season, and entered Saturday night’s contest with a 3-1-1 record placing them 3rd in the Central Division behind the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets.

If you like overtimes Utah is your Hockey Club as they came away with a razor edge victory over the visiting Bruins at the Delta Center 2-1 scoring the game winner in the overtime stanza.

Unlike Utah’s season opener against Chicago, where Blackhawks fans were relatively few and quiet, a noticeable contingent of yellow-clad Boston fans streamed into the Delta Center and within moments of the puck drop broke out into a “Let’s Go Bruins” chant.  The hometown fans would not have it and immediately drowned out the visitors shouting “UTAH!” following every “Let’s Go.”  On the ice, both teams traded chances throughout the opening period but returned to their locker rooms in a scoreless tie.

Boston’s Cole Koepke opened the scoring at 12:49 of the second period with a goal assisted by Brad Marchand as the throng of Bruins fans in attendance roared their approval.  Shortly afterward Utah appeared to tie things up on a blistering shot by Michael Kesselring, with the screaming hometown fans making it clear that they were in the majority, but play continued as if nothing had happened. During the period intermission, multiple angles of the play were displayed on the Jumbotron where one could see that the puck struck the post and flew along the goal line without crossing.

In the third period, Utah thought they had gotten the equalizer at 6:48, but the goal was reversed due to an offsides violation.  The two teams got chippier as the period wore on, with Utah goaltender Connor Ingram repeatedly standing on his head to keep his squad in the game. 

Finally at 14:51, defenseman Vladislalv Kolyachonok received a beautiful stretch pass from Nick Schmaltz and charged to the goal crease where he found the back of the net, with captain Clayton Keller also assisting.  Regulation play ended tied at one apiece, with Utah going to overtime for the fourth time in six games of the young season.

David Pastrnak of the Bruins gave Utah a gift 42 seconds into overtime, going to the sin bin with a tripping penalty against Clayton Keller.  Utah kept the pressure on Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman during their 4-on-3 power play, and as the penalty expired and Pastrnak came out of the box, Michael Kesselring knocked in the game-winner unassisted to give UHC the 2-1 victory, keeping them perfect at home and 4-1-1 overall.  

After the game, Vladislav Kolyachonok talked about scoring his first Utah Hockey Club goal. “Yeah, it feels good. It’s a good team effort and a good pass. I think all the guys did a great job, so I appreciate the effort and work. It’s nice to get a nice result.” With regard to the team’s resiliency and coming back to win, Kolyachonok added, “I think it shows team character. We have lots of individuals on our team, lots of great players, and everybody supports each other on the bench. That’s what helped us to get a win.”

Michael Kesselring felt great about the game-winning goal, but offered particular praise of his teammates. “I thought everybody, all six defensemen, all forwards, we all bought in tonight. We managed the puck pretty well, and just bought in and got it done.”

Head coach André Tourigny commented on Kesselring’s overtime goal after having hit the post earlier in the game. “Yeah, he has a great shot. The big thing with Kesselring is to take that shot. I think he passed on two or three shots tonight. I think at some point he will understand that with a shot like that you don’t pass. You find a way to have more. He has a really good shot.”

With Saturday night’s win, Utah has beaten two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams over the past week. Their next game is Tuesday Oct 22 at the Delta Center against the Ottawa Senators.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Stamkos hits post just missing game winner in debut for Preds; NJ coach Keefe loses to former team Leafs; plus more NHL news

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Nashville Predators Steven Stamkos with his children walk into Bridgestone Arena Nashville before the start of Stamkos’ Predators debut against the Dallas Stars on Thu Oct 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Former Tampa Bay Lightning and current Nashville Predator Steven Stamkos with 15 seconds left in their opener against Dallas Stars took a shot that hit the post and the Preds lost in Stamkos’ debut 4-3. It was not the kind of ending he wanted but he said he was excited about joining his new team in Nashville.

#2 Former Toronto Maple Leafs and current New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe lost against his former team the Leafs 4-2 on Thursday night. Keefe was looking for sweet revenge against the Leafs but the Leafs delivered on offense scoring three times in the first period pretty much putting the game out of reach.

#3 The Utah Hockey Club is off and running the former Arizona hockey team turned Utah in their first year of existence picked up another victory this time on Thursday in Elmont New York against the New York Islanders in a close one 5-4. Showing that Utah could be a competitive team this season down 4-3 in third period, they got a goal from Josh Doan at 18:06 to tie it 4-4 and an overtime goal from Dylan Guenther for the win at 2:18.

#4 Tough break for Boone Jenner of the Columbus Blue Jackets who was injured in practice on Oct 4th and had to have shoulder surgery last Wednesday. Jenner’s prognosis is that he could miss the rest of the 24-25 season. Jackets general manager David Waddell said “These things are probably 5-6 months,” Waddell added “Every individual is different. Five months puts you right at the beginning of March. Just see how it all plays out here in the next few months.

#5 The last surviving member of the 1956-60 Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup winning teams Don Marshall has passed away at age 92. There were 12 players who were part of that five consecutive championship teams. Marshall amongst them a native Montrealer played 585 games for the Habs between 1951-63 with 254 points, 114 goals, and 140 assists. Marshall later did some broadcast with Montreal broadcasters Danny Gallivan and Dick Irvin Jr as an analyst.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah Hockey Club Roars in NHL Debut defeat Blackhawks 5-3 in opener

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Utah Hockey defenseman Michael Kesselring (7) moves the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks left wing Patrick Maroon (77) during the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Oct 8, 2024 (AP New photo)

Utah Hockey Club Roars in NHL Debut

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–In an early afternoon press conference outside the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Utah Hockey Club co-owner Ashley Smith praised the herculean efforts of staff and government officials in the rapid transformation of the Arizona Coyotes into the NHL’s newest franchise, still awaiting a permanent name pending the outcome of fan voting.

No sooner was the ink on the transfer of the team dry, work began on relocating players and team administration to their new home, modifying Delta Center to accommodate both NBA and NHL requirements, and generating over 30,000 season ticket deposits for the 2024-2025 season.

Last season, the Coyotes played at Mullett Arena at Arizona State University where NHL attendance was capped at 4,600 seats. Utah had 172 days to completely transform a franchise and begin the new season where it will likely sell out every game.

Co-owner Ryan Smith also praised the efforts of the staffs of the Smith Entertainment Group and Utah Jazz who sacrificed their usual summer vacations and worked up to 18 hours a day during the offseason to bring the Utah Hockey Club into the SEG family.

Newly relocated players and administration were blown away as new neighbors throughout the region showed up at their doors with food and offers to help become acquainted with schools and any kind of information they might need as they settled into their homes.

Commissioner Gary Bettman, long accustomed to boos wherever he makes an appearance, received rare cheers from the assembled gathering of fans who endured scorching heat to witness history being made.

As the afternoon wore on, tens of thousands of hockey fans including children holding up homemade signs thronged the entry to Delta Center to welcome and cheer the arrival of the players.

Thousands of those who were unable to get seats for the sold out home opener remained outside for a massive watch party where they viewed the game on large monitors.

Those inside the arena stood and screamed loudly, waving white rally towels, as players skated onto the ice one by one for opening game introductions. Finnish defenseman Juuso Valimaki had the honor of being the first player introduced. The crowd crescendoed with each introduction, coming to a climax as captain Clayton Keller took to the ice.

Following a stirring performance of the national anthem by Kaylee Bucio, fans erupted as Utah Jazz power forward Lauri Markkanen, adorned in UHC attire, skated onto the ice for the ceremonial puck drop together with Ashley and Ryan Smith, captain Clayton Keller, and Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno. Markkanen, a 7-foot tall power forward from Finland, demonstrated tremendous skating ability of his own, making one wonder how far he might have gone had he pursued hockey over basketball.

At long last the game began and the Utah Hockey Club got off to a quick start. At 4:56 of the first period, right wing Dylan Guenther netted the first goal for the new franchise, assisted by Michael Kesselring and Logan Cooley.

The roar of the crowd was so deafening as to trigger decibel lever warnings on Apple watches. The jumbotron showed thousands of fans at the watch party outside joining in the first goal celebration. At 13:35 of the first period, captain Clayton Keller put UHC up 2-0 with a goal assisted by Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton, which is how things stood at the end of the first period much to the approval of the sold out crowd.

Utah picked up where they left off at 8:46 of the second period, going up 3-0 on a goal by Barrett Hayton, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev, recently acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning where he won two Stanley Cups, and Nick Schmaltz. The three goal lead turned out to be short-lived as Teuvo Teravainen put Chicago on the board at 14:25, assisted by Connor Bedard and Seth Jones. One could hear the cheers of a small but happy number of Blackhawks fans among the crowd as the shutout was broken.

The Blackhawks clamped down defensively in the last half of the second period and put additional pressure on UHC in the third period when captain Nick Foligno, assisted by Alex Vlasic and Connor Bedard narrowed the score to 3-2 with a little more than 15 minutes remaining in the game.

With 44 seconds remaining in the game, Dylan Guenther scored his second goal of the game into an empty net, assisted by Logan Cooley and Sean Durzi, giving Utah a little breathing room and a 4-2 lead. Earlier in the game, Durzi entered UHC’s record books with the squad’s first fighting major in the second period along with Connor Murphy of the Blackhawks.

With both teams at even strength, center Logan Cooley found the back of the net one more time with 22 seconds to go, assisted by Ian Cole, to put a punctuation mark on a thrilling 5-2 opening night victory for the NHL’s newest franchise. Goaltender Connor Ingram stopped 26 of 28 shots for the win.

After the game, Utah Hockey Club Head Coach André Tourigny commented on playing the first game in a new environment:

“Well, I think what I did like is the maturity we showed during the game. I think there were a lot of emotion, there’s a lot of stress, lot of wanting to win and wanting to deliver. And when Chicago pushed back, I really liked the leadership on the bench, the experience we have. Our leader did a great job to make sure we stay level as much as possible.”

When asked what he would remember about the inaugural game, Tourigny, who goes by “Bear,” responded, ”We won. That’s what I will remember. But what I will remember, I think, it’s been a hell of a journey. It’s been fabulous every step. It’s been a huge boost of energy for our team, for our players. And to hear the crowd to start the game, the presentation of the players, when we score our first goal, and when the thing get a little bit scrappy, that was just phenomenal.”

Captain Clayton Keller, also commenting on the inaugural game, said, “The first preseason game we had was pretty crazy. And I think this was a whole ‘nother level. Super fun game to be a part of, the fans were awesome…We couldn’t be more excited to play in front of them for the rest of the year.”

Forward Dylan Guenther, who scored the first goal in franchise history along with netting the team’s fourth goal to lock up the victory in the final minute added, “That building was special, so it was a ton of fun to play in front of that crowd.”

In speaking of the environment of the inaugural game, Guenther responded, “I mean, an intense one. I think like a playoff game, almost with that atmosphere. If the building stays like that all year, it’s a huge advantage for us.”

Chicago Blackhawks Head Coach Luke Richardson had this to say about playing in Utah:

“It was a great crowd and a very lively building. I think with the first period they had, they fed off the crowd, but the crowd got lots to cheer about which was unfortunate for us. We’re excited to be here playing Utah, and we’re looking forward to coming back and putting on a better show next time on.”

Chicago Blackhawks Forward Nick Foligno added, “I didn’t know what to expect. To be honest, I heard great things, and it’s lived up to the hype. They were loud, they were energetic, and you could tell they’re excited to have hockey here. As far as a fan standpoint, it was a great night for hockey in Utah. We’re thrilled as a league to have [Utah] here. It was definitely loud, and they’re avid fans, so I’d give them a ton of credit. They were definitely into it tonight, and hopefully that sustains all year long.”

There will be no rest for Utah after their historic opening night victory. The team now hits the road for four games, traveling east to play the New York Islanders on Thursday followed by the New York Rangers on Saturday and the New Jersey Devils on Monday before flying to the west coast to play the Ducks in Anaheim on Wednesday. The next home game will be on Saturday, October 19, against the Boston Bruins.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Hockey in Prague brings out over 16,000 fans; Keller named first captain in Utah history; plus more news

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Buffalo Sabres Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen left battles for the puck with New Jersey Devils Thomas Tatar second from right at the 2024 NHL Global Series Czechia presented by Fastenal in Prague on Fri Oct 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 It had to be special for the New Jersey Devils who faced off with Buffalo Sabres in Prague. New Jersey goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped 30 shots in the 4-1 win Friday night at the 2024 NHL Global Series Czechia presented by Fastenal. The game drew 16, 913 so the NHL is a hot commodity in Prague as well.

#2 Clayton Keller was named the first captain in Utah Hockey history Oliver Eckman Larsson was the Arizona Coyotes beginning Sep 13, 2018 and later was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on July 23, 2021. Keller was the alternate captain on the Coyotes for the last two seasons, he also led by example leading the Yotes in goals with 33 goals, assists with 43, and 76 points.

#3 While Edmonton Oilers Kris Knoblauch is still trying to decide whose going to work the blue lines with just six days left until the regular season starts. But there is no doubt that the Oilers will be starting Stuart Skinner in goal for this season. Stuart started in 57 games last season. Knoblauch said of Stuart, “You look at how well he’s handled adversity throughout the year. After a bad game, he’s always responded.

#4 Len, Austin Matthews comes into this season as the 26th named captain in Toronto Maple Leafs history. Matthews succeeds last season’s captain John Tavares. Tavares had been team captain for the Leafs since October 2019. Tavares will continue to bring a veteran presence. One of the big reasons for Matthews becoming the captain was given by team president Brenden Shanahan, “Over these past eight seasons, we’ve witnessed first-hand Auston’s trajectory and evolution as a player and a person,”

#5 The San Jose Sharks and NHL’s number one draft pick Macklin Celebrini is still nursing a nagging lower body injury. Celebrini was able to skate for the first time on Friday since his injury during Tuesday’s pre season game against Utah. Sharks head coach Ryan Warosfsky said “He skated on his own today, so I think we’re trending in the right direction. But again, it’s still very early in the process, and we’ll see how he is tomorrow and evaluate.”

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah edges LA 3-2 in exhibition game for new NHL franchise

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Utah Hockey Team celebrate a win over the Los Angeles Kings in NHL exhibition at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Mon Sep 23, 2024 (@utahhockeyclub photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Five months ago the National Hockey League announced that the personnel of the Arizona Coyotes had been purchased by the Smith Entertainment Group and would operate as a new NHL franchise in Salt Lake City beginning with the 2024-2025 season. The Coyotes brand was retained by owner Alex Meruelo in the event Arizona is awarded a future expansion team.

For those who wondered whether or not Utah could support an NHL team in addition to the NBA Utah Jazz and MLS Real Salt Lake, both also owned by SEG, all doubt was immediately cast aside as more than 34,000 season ticket deposits were received in a matter of days.

Since that time, anticipation has continued to build as team colors were announced and fans began online voting to name the team for its eventual sophomore season. Though all manner of shirts, hats, and hoodies have made their way onto store shelves throughout the state, even at Costco, fans are looking forward to the arrival of inaugural season jerseys which are being expedited to potentially arrive in November.

On Monday, a packed Delta Center welcomed their new hometown team for its first-ever pre-season game with a loud standing ovation as they took to the ice to square off against the visiting Los Angeles Kings. Prior to dropping the puck, an emotional tribute video honored the lives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau who were tragically killed by a suspected drunk driver on August 29. Following a 13-second moment of silence, fans were invited to remain standing for the national anthem, immediately followed by the moment everyone had been waiting for.

At 15:04 of the first period, Lawson Crouse gave Utah HC the lead on a power play goal, assisted by Sean Durzi and Matias Maccelli. At the ensuing faceoff, Utah’s Liam O’Brien and the Kings’ Jeff Malott immediately dropped their gloves, much to the delight of a roaring crowd. Moments later, Alex Kerfoot put Utah up 2-0 on another power play goal, assisted again by Durzi and Maccelli, which was the score heading into the locker room at the end of the first period.

The Kings came back in the 2nd period with goals from Jeff Malott and Alex Turcotte to even things up heading into what became a scoreless 3rd.

With the crowd standing and cheering the beginning of overtime, it took only 19 seconds for Clayton Keller to put the puck in the back of the Kings net for the unassisted game winner.

After the game, head coach Andre Tourigny noted that there’s still a lot of rust from the offseason to shake off, and that video from Monday’s game will immediately be used to determine the focus of the next practice.

Utah will now hit the road for their next four pre-season games against Las Vegas, Colorado, San Jose, and Anaheim. They will kick off the regular season with their home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 8.