Utah Fought Hard, Fell Short Against Anaheim

SALT LAKE CITY – Friday night, the Utah Mammoth fought hard from the opening whistle until the final buzzer. However, in the second half of a back-to-back which started in Las Vegas Thursday night, the Mammoth came up short against the Anaheim Ducks, 4-1. Dylan Guenther scored Utah’s lone goal which was his 34^th of the season. 

The final score does not reflect the tight game between these Western Conference opponents. Anaheim scored two empty net goals in the final two minutes of the game while Utah was pushing for the equalizer. Entering the third period, down a goal, the Mammoth had a strong belief that they would tie the game. Although Utah came up short, the way the Mammoth generated in the third period was a direct result of staying calm and believing in themselves.

“Yeah, you can see the way we played in the third we generated a lot of offense,” head coach André Tourigny explained. “We had great opportunities. We had momentum, we were aggressive and all of it. We were not on our heels, so really the only thing I don't like is the scoreboard. The rest of it is tough to complain about. Proud of the guys, proud of their resilience, proud of their mental toughness. The six on five and the power play at the end, I would have loved to do something different. Other than that, there’s not much to complain about.”

“We never lost the belief,” alternate captain Mikhail Sergachev shared postgame. “I thought we were fine and our bench was great. We had a lot of learning to do in the last two years and I think now, it’s coming to a level that we all want to be at.

That consistent belief and confidence in this team will keep the Mammoth in tight games and help them pick up points not only this season, but in the future as well. It also speaks to the pride and identity this team has.

“It’s important,” Guenther said. “I think showing that drive throughout the full 60 (minutes) is huge and it speaks to our character. You can’t win them all, but it was a solid game.”

Guenther’s goal opened the scoring in the first two minutes of the game. It was the result of hard work and making quick plays. After Guenther couldn’t connect with Peterka’s shot for a tip-in, the forward went to the weak side. Durzi recovered the puck and quickly passed to Guenther, whose one-timer soared to the back of the net. The tally was Guenther’s 34^th of the year.

“It was a nice play, even in his own end,” Guenther said of Durzi. “I think he got the puck out, we got a three-on-two, and Durzi is really good with the puck. He is really smart, and he is always looking for other guys. I was over there on the weak side, and he made a good, hard pass. It is good to start the game that way.”

The Mammoth will have an opportunity to rest and recover after a tough back-to-back against the two of the top teams in the Pacific Division. On Sunday, Utah will play its third game in four nights against a team chasing them in the standings, the Los Angeles Kings. In addition to bringing the effort and fight Utah did tonight, the Mammoth will look to finish on more of their chances after the team scored one goal on 30 shots.

“I think our push was great; we just didn’t finish,” Sergachev explained. “We had a lot of chances, a couple of breakaways, a couple going against the goal in front of the net, and we didn’t finish. That was the difference in the game.”

“Solid effort, back-to-back, they had a good push, we had a good push, and we just got to bear down a little bit more on some plays,” Guenther shared. “I mean, it’s right there, so I think there’s some positives.”

Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)

• Guenther has scored six goals in his last eight games. He has also tallied 22 points over his last 22 contests (13G, 9A).

• Jack McBain continued to bring a high level of physicality tonight. He dropped the gloves with Jeffrey Viel in the second period, earning his sixth fighting major of the season and 22^nd of his NHL career. 

• The Mammoth closed the 10^th of their 11 back-to-back sets in 2025-26. They have now earned a 4-4-2 record in the first game and a 3-6-1 record in the second game of back-to-backs this season.

• Utah’s penalty kill went 5-for-5 and are now 172-for-218 this season which is a 78.9% success rate.

The Mammoth continue their four-game homestand with a game against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Tickets are available here!

Upcoming Schedule

• Mar. 20: ANA vs UTA

• Mar. 22: LAK vs UTA

• Mar. 24: EDM vs UTA