The Utah Mammoth faced off against their division rivals, the Anaheim Ducks, on Wednesday night. The Ducks entered the matchup with a record of 16-9-1, sitting atop the Pacific Division, while the Mammoth, at 12-12-3, were in search of a much-needed win during their six-game road trip, having lost their first three games. Karel Vejmelka was in goal for Utah, with Ville Husso, an American Hockey League (AHL) call-up, starting for Anaheim.
In the first period, just six minutes in, Lawson Crouse scored, giving the Mammoth an early lead with assists from Michael Carcone and Jack McBain. The Ducks were given their first power play opportunity shortly after when Logan Cooley was penalized for tripping, but they failed to capitalize. A few minutes later, Dylan Guenther scored on a breakaway, assisted by Ian Cole, extending the Mammoth”s lead to 2-0. Vejmelka stood firm, saving all six shots he faced in the first period, while Husso saved five of the seven shots directed at him. Despite a dominant performance in the faceoff circle, winning 78.6% of them, the Ducks could not find the back of the net.
The second period began with Cole adding another goal for the Mammoth, pushing their advantage to 3-0, with assists from Maveric Lamoreux and JJ Peterka. The Ducks had another chance on the power play when Cole was penalized for interference, but they were unable to score again. A goal by Mason McTavish was disallowed for being offside. Late in the period, Peterka, assisted by Nick Schmalz and Clayton Keller, increased the Mammoth”s lead to 4-0. The Mammoth received their first power play of the game after a tripping penalty on Beckett Sennecke, but they could not take advantage before the second period concluded. Vejmelka continued his stellar play, saving 16 shots during the period, while the Mammoth put up 13 shots of their own.
As the third period began, the Ducks switched goaltenders, bringing in Vyacheslav Buteyets in place of Husso, hoping to spark a comeback. However, less than two minutes in, Liam O”Brien scored, with assists from McBain and Sean Durzi, making it 5-0. The Ducks were given another opportunity on the power play when Lamoreux was penalized for tripping, yet their struggles continued. The Mammoth then had a man advantage when Ross Johnston was penalized for roughing, allowing Peterka to score his second goal of the night with a power-play tally, pushing the score to 6-0 with just over nine minutes remaining. The scoring frenzy continued as Keller added another goal, assisted by Peterka and Schmaltz, bringing the total to 7-0. The Mammoth maintained their lead for the remainder of the game, securing a crucial victory.
The Mammoth will next face the Vancouver Canucks on Friday and the Calgary Flames on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Ducks will host the Washington Capitals on Friday before taking on the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
