The Utah Mammoth won their much-anticipated home opener on Wednesday night. They defeated the Calgary Flames, 3-1. The Mammoth trailed first but scored three unanswered goals including an empty netter.
Fans got treated to a host of activities before the game. Players came out on the blue carpet to pose for pictures and sign autographs. Team dog Archie was there to greet fans, too. Inside the arena, fans got to see the new renovations to the Delta Center. The highlight of the opening ceremony was the introduction of the new team mascot, Tusky. Tusky is a baby blue Mammoth with a dark blue mohawk.
Utah Mammoth Win 3-1 in Home Opener
Despite outshooting the Flames 10-5, it was the Flames who carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Rasmus Andersson scored at 08:37 in the first period to give the visitors the lead. However, the Flames spent a lot of time in the penalty box during the second period. Barrett Hayton scored for the Mammoth at 01:16 to tie the game. JJ Peterka scored at 04:24 to give the home team the lead. Karel Vejmelka shut the door for the rest of the game, which led to Kevin Stenlund scoring into the empty net at 19:37 in the third period to secure the victory.
Moving forward, the Mammoth need to work on their power play. After going 0-6 on the power play in the home opener, it clearly needs work. The next game is on Friday, October 17th, at home against the San Jose Sharks. Hopefully, they make the most of their current four-game homestand. Their next road game is October 23rd, when the Mammoth are in St. Louis to play the Blue
Looking Ahead
Clayton Keller is a player who needs to step up. One assist through four games is not good enough. His team needs more out of him to find success. Anything short of a playoff berth this season is disappointing. There is still a lot of hockey left to play, but Keller needs to be a big factor in the season outcome for the Mammoth. Hopefully, another 30-goal season is in store for him. Getting more than 90 points isn’t out of the question for him, so let’s hope it happens.
The Mammoth must catch up to the teams ahead of them in the Central Division. They are tied with the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, and Winnipeg Jets with four points each. The Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators have five points. Leading the division is the Colorado Avalanche with seven points, with the Dallas Stars in second at 6 points. The next divisional game for the Mammoth will be on Tuesday, October 21st, against the Avalanche.
Fans can only hope that with a new name, logo, and mascot, a new winning team is also coming this season. This team boasts a deep talent pool on the main roster and in the minors. The future is bright, so let’s hope the future starts now.
This is a great article and it appears with some improvements the team could do very well. It was an interesting and informative article well written.