The Utah Mammoth visited their division rivals, the Anaheim Ducks, on Wednesday night. The Ducks were 16-9-1 and first in the Pacific going into the game. On the other hand, the Mammoth were 12-12-3 and looking for a win during their six-game road trip, where they had lost the first three. Karel Vejmelka would start between the pipes for the visiting team, mirrored by American Hockey League (AHL) call-up Ville Husso for the Ducks.
First Period
Six minutes into play, Lawson Crouse put the Mammoth on the board with assists from Michael Carcone and Jack McBain. Logan Cooley took a tripping penalty later to give the Ducks their first power play. They did not score. Dylan Guenther had a speedy breakaway minutes later, assisted by Ian Cole, to give the Mammoth a 2-0 lead.
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Despite six shots on goal, Vejmelka held strong and did not allow the Ducks to score in the first period. Husso faced seven shots on goal, saving five. Anaheim dominated the faceoff circle at 78.6% success, but needed to capitalize on that possession in the second period.
Second Period
Cole added a goal on the scoresheet to start the second period, giving the Mammoth a 3-0 lead. Maveric Lamoreux and JJ Peterka assisted. The Ducks had another shot at a power play when Cole took a minor penalty for interference. They did not capitalize on the man advantage, and a goal by Mason McTavish was called back for being offside.
Peterka, assisted by Nick Schmalz and Clayton Keller, gave the Mammoth a dominant 4-0 lead late in the middle period. They had their first power play of the game after a tripping penalty on Beckett Sennecke in the waning minutes of the frame. They did not score again in the second, but the power play would carry over 36 seconds into the third period.
The Ducks had 16 shots on goal in the second period, but Vejmelka was unrelenting yet again. The Mammoth tallied 13 shots on goal.
Third Period
Goaltender Vyacheslav Buteyets took the ice for the Ducks to start the third period in hopes of relieving Husso and giving the Ducks a chance to come back. Those hopes were dashed, however, by Liam O’Brien less than two minutes into the period. McBain and Sean Durzi notched the assists on the fifth goal.
Lamoreux took a tripping penalty to give the Ducks a third power-play opportunity, but their defense once again fell short. Ross Johnston took a penalty for roughing to give the Mammoth a man advantage. Peterka scored his second goal of the night with a power-play goal, and they had a 6-0 lead with nine minutes and change remaining.
The Mammoth goals just kept coming when Keller got one past Buteyets, assisted by Peterka and Schmaltz. The Mammoth had seven goals with six minutes to go, and that’s how they would end the game and take a much-needed victory.
The winners visit the Vancouver Canucks on Friday and the Calgary Flames on Saturday. The Ducks host the Washington Capitals on Friday and the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
