Tag: Utah Mammoth

Mammoth Extinguish Flames 3-1 In Home Opener

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Utah Mammoth center Barrett Hayton (27) scores against the Calgary Flames in the second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wed Oct 15, 2025 (AP News photo)

Mammoth Extinguish Flames 3-1 In Home Opener

JJ Peterka nets game-winner in Delta Center debut as Karel Vejmelka locks down the Utah net.

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Utah Mammoth returned to Salt Lake City Wednesday night for their home opener following a 1-2-0 road trip through Colorado, Nashville, and Chicago to begin the 2025-2026 NHL season. For the second straight year, Utah forward Dylan Guenther scored the team’s first goal of the season, this time in a 2-1 loss to the Avalanche on October 9.

Before the puck drop at Delta Center, Tusky the Mountain Blue mammoth made its mascot debut, officially ending the double duties of Jazz Bear from the city’s NBA squad.

At 7:21 of the first period, Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev went to the sin bin for high-sticking Blake Coleman. Just over a minute later, Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson cashed it in to give the Flames an early 1-0 lead, assisted by Morgan Frost and Nazem Kadri. Calgary netminder Devin Cooley, no relation to Utah’s Logan Cooley, turned away all ten shots he faced in the opening frame while Karel Vejmelka stopped four of the five shots he faced.

It didn’t take long in the second period for Utah to even the score. At 1:16 of the period, Mammoth forward Barrett Hayton found the back of the Calgary net for his first goal of the season, assisted by Nick Schmaltz and John Marino. Three minutes later, JJ Peterka took advantage of a giveaway by Brayden Pachal and flew the full length of the ice before beating Devin Cooley unassisted for his second goal of the season and a new entry into the Mammoth highlight reels to give Utah the 2-1 lead. The second period was all Mammoth as the home squad put 18 shots on goal to Calgary’s three.

The Flames fought back in the third period, outshooting Utah 12-4, but both netminders held the line until Devin Cooley got pulled to give Calgary a 6-5 offensive advantage. The Flames peppered Karel Vejmelka with shots in the closing minutes, but Utah forward Kevin Stenlund banked a rebound off the dasher boards and into the empty Calgary net for his first goal of the season to put the game away.

New acquired forward JJ Peterka faced the media in the locker room for the first time after the game. Describing his first home opener as a Mammoth, Peterka said, “The crowd throughout the whole game was unbelievable. Started with the anthem in the warmups, with how many kids and how many fans came out. Just throughout the whole game, when we needed energy, we for sure got it from the crowd.” As for the game itself, the winger added, “I think that was a tough game, but we stuck to our game plan throughout the whole 60 minutes. We knew they were going to make a push and throw everything in there, and I think Veggie was unbelievable throughout the whole game, but especially in the third, he made some huge stops to secure the win.” With regard to Calgary’s third period push, Peterka commented, “We kind of played a little bit more defensively, made sure we are in the shot lanes and in passing lanes, and outweighed them because we knew they come pretty hot out of the locker room.”

Winning goaltender Karel Vejmelka was asked about getting that first W at home. “Obviously, first home game of the season, so we wanted to play a good game and we did. We found a way to win. It wasn’t an easy game. But like I said, we found a way.” Having faced only 8 shots combined in the first two periods, Vejmelka was asked about staying focused while being largely uncontested for much of the game. He responded, “You know, it’s all about staying sharp and mentally focused. It wasn’t easy for us in the first period, but [there was] pressure in the third and we played a really good job defensively, but I needed to make a couple of good saves. It’s a big team win. As for the energy of the fans on opening night, the Utah netminder said, “Well, it’s always fun to play again in front of our fans. It’s so much fun and I enjoy every minute on the ice. It’s really special to be back home, and really appreciated all of that.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny began the postgame interview with a statement. “It was a positive outing, and lots of opportunities. Unfortunately, we could not convert, but it was a positive outing. And then the third, they had a really good push, but I liked the way we managed it defensively. We turned the puck over a little bit too much when we were protecting the lead, a little bit too safe. But our game in general, when it comes to the physicality, balancing, the hits, and trying not to draw penalties.” Talking about giving up Calgary’s early goal, Tourigny commented, “I think we reacted well after the first. In the first, it was a war, maybe a little bit too into it. But after we reacted really well. I really like the mental strength of our team, and even when they had the push, we still played well. When you dominate the way we dominate for two periods, and you arrive in the third, and they have a push, I didn’t feel any panic. The guys were trying to do the right thing, not necessarily having success at it, but we’re doing the right thing, and we defended really hard. So that’s tough for them to get to our net front, but when they did, Veggie came up big.” Overall, Tourigny was satisfied with his team’s performance for the night. “Our forecheck was big, and I think that when we’re on top of our opponent and we skate the way we did in the first two periods, we are tough to play against, and we drew a lot of penalties. That’s a really good game for us. … Part of playing good defense is that you need to be able to break out the puck a little bit better than we did in the third. It was a strength of ours in the first two periods. In the third, it was a little bit tougher. And they obviously pressed a bit differently than they did in other situations. So it put us in a little bit of some adversity, which is something we will talk more about and improve, but the way we played without the puck was really good, and much more comfortable.”

The Mammoth return to action at the Delta Center on Friday against the San Jose Sharks, continuing with games next week against the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche to conclude the season opening homestand.

Utah Mammoth Close Out Preseason With 6-4 Victory Over The San Jose Sharks

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Utah Mammoth celebrate and defeat the San Jose Sharks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City in pre season action on Sat Oct 4, 2025 (photo from the NHL)

Utah Mammoth Close Out Preseason With 6-4 Victory Over The San Jose Sharks

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY– The Utah Mammoth dropped its first of five preseason contests before winning the final two at the newly renovated Delta Center defeating the San Jose Sharks 6-4 on Saturday night.

The Utah Mammoth welcomed the San Jose Sharks to the Delta Center on Saturday night as both teams wrapped up their preseason schedule. On Thursday, Utah defeated the Los Angeles Kings for their first preseason win after dropping their first five. San Jose entered Saturday’s game with a 2-3-0 preseason record.

Just 28 seconds into the first period, the Sharks went on the power play as Mammoth defenseman John Marino was called for tripping against Adam Gaudette. Utah killed off the penalty and Marino had a breakaway when he was sprung from the box, but San Jose netminder Yaroslav Askarov turned it away as his teammates then took the puck up the ice with Adam Gaudette finding the back of the net with a backhand shot, assisted by Shakir Mukhamadullin and Jeff Skinner.

At 7:03 of the first, Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev converted a snap shot, assisted by Dylan Guenther and JJ Peterka, to tie things up. Less than 90 seconds later, Vincent Desharnais gave Utah its first power play of the evening with a tripping penalty against Jack McBain.

The Mammoth wasted no time converting the man advantage to claim a 2-1 lead as forward Dylan Guenther blasted a perfect pass from Mikhail Sergachev past Askarov with the additional assist to Clayton Keller. At 11:44 of the frame, Askarov turned away a shot from Utah forward JJ Peterka, but a diving Andrew Agozzino knocked in the rebound to put the Mammoth up 3-1.

Less than two minutes later, Utah forward Kailer Yamamoto tipped in a shot from Nate Schmidt to send the home team to the locker room sporting a commanding 4-1 lead.

Less than two minutes into the second period, San Jose’s Tyler Toffoli cut the deficit in half on a snap shot goal assisted by Alexander Wennberg. Barely a minute later, Barclay Goodrow made it a 1-goal game on a goal assisted by Adam Gaudette and Shakir Mukhamadullin.

At 13:39 of the period, with Utah forward JJ Peterka in the sin bin for slashing against Ethan Cardwell, Will Smith brought the Sharks all the way back with his first goal of the preseason, assisted by Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli. The two squads went to their locker rooms at the period intermission knotted up at 4 apiece.

Last October during the regular season, Utah coughed up a 4-1 lead and lost to San Jose in overtime, so there was a certain feeling of déjà vu heading into the third period. This time, however, Mammoth captain Clayton Keller ensured a different outcome.

At 4:55 of the third, Keller put the puck past Askarov to reclaim the lead, assisted by Sean Durzi and Nate Schmidt. At 11:11, newly acquired Utah forward Brandon Tanev put the game away for good with a backhand shot on a breakaway, unassisted, to give the home team a 6-4 victory to close out the preseason schedule with a 2-5-0 record. The Sharks finished the preseason at 2-4-0.

After the game, San Jose forward Macklin Celebrini talked about his rhythm and timing in his first game back. “It was good to just kind of get out there with our systems and with the guys and kind of just work through some stuff.”

On his assist to Will Smith, Celebrini added, “I mean, we practice a lot of different stuff on the entries, and I think you just kind of start to know where guys are going to be.” With regard to the second period comeback, he said, “I think our puck battles, the way we were able to kill plays in the defensive zone. I think that was the biggest part. They have some really skilled players on their team, and when they get going in the (offensive) zone, it’s tough to stop. So I think just cutting plays and getting out of our zone as quick as possible kind of led to that.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky, when asked whether the second-period turnaround was more coach- or player-driven, responded, “I think and I hope it’s both, to be honest with you. I had a message, and I am sure that when I left, some of our leadership group had a message as well. So we did have a turnaround in the second period. I liked the second; we did some good things, but obviously we have some things to work on.” Speaking of his goaltender, Warsofsky commented, “I thought he battled. I have to give him credit. He battled. Probably wasn’t the start he wanted, and I think he hung in there and he battled.”

In the home locker room, Mammoth forward Brandon Tanev gave his first post-game interview in his new home. “Yeah, we of course loved our first period. A lot of good things to take away from it, but things got away from us in the second there. But ultimately, we dug down, and we understood what we were doing was wrong, then we had a great third period. There’s a lot of stuff that we liked and that we didn’t like, and it’s improvements throughout camp. You play the preseason, and there are a lot of games, moving bodies, a lot of things, and it’s understanding each other, how to play and how to play the right way. … Getting your legs back, getting your understanding of what you’re supposed to be doing on the ice, where you’re supposed to be, and playing as a team. Ultimately, I think we did that, especially in the third there.” What did he think about playing at Delta Center? “Yeah, it’s great. I mean, the fans here are unbelievable, the passion and energy. It’s definitely a hockey town, and I think we’re very fortunate to be playing in this arena in front of these fans, so we love it every game. And it’s been great so far, so we can’t wait for the regular season.”

Utah captain Clayton Keller talked about the team’s progress throughout preseason. “Yeah, it’s been good. We’ve gotten better each game and each day, we had a lot of guys banged up so we had some different line combinations. But I think the last two games and getting most of our roster together, trying to get that chemistry to get your wind. I thought we did a good job tonight.”

Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny got straight to the point in his postgame remarks. “I obviously was really happy about the way we played for most of the game. I did not like the second period. I think it’s a good opportunity for us to learn. We were not as fast in the second period. We were not on our toes, and that cost us. I think we learned from there, and I really like the way we respond in the third.” Talking about the second period where Utah surrendered 3 goals to San Jose, Tourigny said, “There’s a timeline between being smart in your decision and being passive. You have to be patient, but you cannot be passive; we were trying to be patient in the second, and instead of being patient, we became passive. We take our best asset out of the game, which is our pace, our speed, our aggression on the forecheck, aggression on the track, and aggression on the way we close the neutral zone. So I think it was a good teaching moment for us to draw the line between passive and patient.” All things considered, Tourigny was happy with the outcome. “It’s business. The coach can arrive here and say I didn’t like the second period, but we only gave up 13 shots, as a team with our full lineup in our barn, and we scored six goals. So, if I’m not happy about that, I might have a problem and I need to see the doc right away.”

Utah begins the regular season October 9 on the road with games against Colorado, Nashville, and Chicago before returning to Salt Lake City on October 15 for their home opener against the Calgary Flames. San Jose will open their season October 9 at home against Las Vegas, Anaheim, and Carolina before returning to Utah for their first road game on October 17.

Mammoth Stomps Kings in Delta Center Preseason Home Opener; Lawson Crouse scores goal and assist in beating L.A. 2-1

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Mammoth Stomps Kings in Delta Center Preseason Home Opener Lawson Crouse scored a goal and an assist to beat L.A. 2-1

Delta Center Arena scoreboard shows the Los Angeles Kings at Utah Mammoth before the first pre season home game on Thu Oct 2, 2025 (photo by author Tom Walker)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Utah Mammoth made their first appearance of the preseason at Delta Center on Thursday night edging the Los Angeles Kings 2-1. Construction crews seemingly worked around the clock to clear away the debris from major offseason reconstruction of the lower bowl of the arena which improved sight lines and brought fans closer to the action. Utah entered the game looking for their first preseason win having lost all five previous contests.

Mammoth forward Kevin Stenlund gave Utah the first lead of the game at 15:12 of the first period with a tip in goal, assisted by Lawson Crouse and Kailer Yamamoto. Newly acquired goaltender Vítek Vaněček turned away all nine Kings shots in the frame.

Kings forward Alex Turcotte tied things up at 3:09 of the second period with a snap shot, assisted by Samuel Helenius. Lawson Crouse regained the Mammoth lead three minutes later with a snap shot of his own, assisted by John Marino and Mikhail Sergachev.

Vaněček went on to shut down the Kings the rest of the way, stopping 32 of 33 shots overall for the 2-1 victory.

For the sake of practice, the two teams participated in a seven-round shootout. Kevin Stenlund gave Utah the early lead, but Kings netminder Anton Forsberg turned away the remaining six Mammoth shooters. Kevin Fiala and Warren Foegele each scored for Los Angeles to give them the 2-1 edge in the exhibition.

Following the game, Lawson Crouse addressed the team’s overall performance. “Yeah, just urgency. I think being comfortable with the lead, five minutes left. I think just the maturity of the group. Obviously, they put some pressure on us, but we believed in each other and got the job done.” When asked if the victory helped bring confidence, Crouse added, “Yeah, it’s preseason, but at this point, everyone is just trying to round out their game and get into the best position they can for opening night. Now we got one more [preseason game] and whatever you have to do to get there, we’re going to do it.”

Vítek Vaněček was asked about his first game inside Delta Center. “I mean, it was great. The people are loud and I think it’ll be even better when we play the first game.” Commenting on his teammates blocking shots early in the game, the Czech goalie added, “I mean, the couple shots in the first period always help and then, you’re feeling better after that. The guys helped me and blocked the shots and then cleaned the pack, so that is a big help for me.”

Head Coach André Tourigny wrapped up the postgame comments with his thoughts. “Great job by Vanny. I think he was rock solid. Gave us the opportunity to win. I like the way we played on the PK. I like the way we’re matured at the end of the game. Obviously, there’s still some stuff to clean up, especially on our breakout. I felt our slot was a little bit too open, but for the rest, we’re happy.” Tourigny went on to talk about the impact of Kevin Stenlund. “He’s a guy who you can count on in a big moment. He was on the ice in game seven of the Stanley Cup when they were protecting a lead and were short a man. You play him against Kopitar all night long. He goes out there, and just produced, and he played really well defensively. He is a stabilizing force for us.”

The Mammoth will wrap up their preseason schedule on Saturday at home against the San Jose Sharks with a 7:00pm PT face off.