Hayton, Peterka score, Mammoth win home opener against Flames

SALT LAKE CITY -- Barrett Hayton and JJ Peterka scored, and the Utah Mammoth defeated the Calgary Flames 3-1 at Delta Center on Wednesday.

It was the first home game for the franchise under the Mammoth nickname, a new branding for the second season in Utah that included new jerseys and a new mascot. It followed an extensive offseason renovation at Delta Center to further adapt the arena for hockey.

“Obviously, first game, home opener of the season, we wanted to play a good game and we did,” Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka said. “We found a way to win. It wasn't an easy game, obviously, but like I said, we found a way. So, [it was a] big two points for us today.”

Kevin Stenlund also scored, and Vejmelka made 19 saves for the Mammoth (2-2-0), who were coming off a 3-1 loss at the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.

“I think when we're on top of our opponent and we skate the way we did in the first two periods, we're tough to play against and we drew penalties,” Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said. “I think that's a really good game for us if you look at the way we generated offense and the number of chances we generated.”

Rasmus Andersson scored, and Devin Cooley made 29 saves for the Flames (1-4-0), who have lost four games in a row.

“I don't think we handled the second period all that well,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “I felt like they turned their game up a little bit. We weren't able to handle the speed, which led to the penalties that we were taking that period. I thought our penalty kill did a good job (6-for-6). [Cooley] played hard and gave us a chance.”

For Cooley, it was his first start for the Flames and his first game in the NHL since April 18, 2024, when he played against the Flames as a member of the San Jose Sharks.

“I felt pretty good,” Cooley said. “Maybe a little jumpy, a little scrambly, but I think that kind of comes with not playing for a while and just having a lot of energy and feeling really excited to get an opportunity.”

Andersson opened the scoring on a power play at 8:37 of the first period, redirecting a pass from Morgan Frost low in the slot to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.

“It's going to be a hard game to win when you take six [minor penalties]. That's just what it comes down to,” Andersson said. “I think we had a good first period. Second period, we came out flat. We took a bunch of penalties and they got momentum. And sure, we had a good push in the third. We could have probably scored one or two, but we didn't.”

The Mammoth answered Calgary’s first-period goal with two of their own in a span of 3:08 in the second period.

Hayton tied the game 1-1 at 1:16, scoring glove side on Cooley off a pass from Nick Schmaltz.

Peterka then gave the Mammoth a 2-1 lead at 4:24 when he beat Cooley blocker side on a breakaway.

“I think it was a tough game, but we stuck to our game plan throughout the whole 60 minutes, especially in the third when we knew they were going to make a push, they were going to throw everything in there,” Peterka said. “I think [Vejmelka] was unbelievable throughout the whole game, but especially in the third. (He) made some huge stops to secure the win.”

Calgary outshot Utah 12-4 in the third period, but Stenlund added an empty-net goal with 23 seconds remaining to secure the 3-1 win.

“I really liked the mental strength of our team, even when they had the push,” Tourigny said. “It's not always easy when you dominate the way we dominated for two periods and you arrive in the third and they have a push. I didn't feel any panic. I felt the guys were trying to do the right thing, not necessarily having success at it, but they were doing the right thing and we defended really hard.”