Utah Hockey Club vs. Calgary Flames

My sister Marilyn is not a hockey fan (we are not really sure how this happened) so, when one of her colleagues gave her four tickets to last night's Utah Hockey Club game to thank her for helping him with a big project, she invited me, Kristine, and Trent to go with her because the three of us are huge hockey fans.  We had so much fun (even Marilyn) and I know my dad was so happy that his three daughters were together at a hockey game (especially against a Canadian team because we got to hear "O Canada").  Utah played the Calgary Flames and it was a really important game with playoff implications for both teams so it was very exciting!  Both teams are very evenly matched but goalie Karel Vejmelka was the difference for Utah because he made 33 saves.  Kevin Stenlund scored first for Utah with with a really nice one-timer at the end of the first period and the crowd went crazy!  It looked like Calgary had scored early in the second period when Mikael Backlund's shot hit the skate of Utah's Nick DeSimone but the goal was disallowed after it was reviewed (which also made the crowd cheer).  Thirty seconds later Barrett Hayton scored on a backhander to put Utah up 2-0.  Rasmus Andersson got one by Vejmelka (I thought he had it) mid-way through the second and then there were a few penalties and a fight to end the period.  Calgary had a few good chances in the third but Utah never gave up and the captain Clayton Keller scored (with an assist from my favorite player Dylan Guenther) on an empty net goal in the final seconds to win 3-1.  I was so happy to see them win because they lost the only other time I've gone to a game this season!  We had such a great time so I think Marilyn might be a new fan!

Utah Hockey Club vs. Ottawa Senators

After seeing a preseason game against the Colorado Avalanche, I have become a huge fan of the Utah Hockey Club (I will be happy when we finally have an actual name).  I have had a lot of fun following the team because they have had a great start to the season (unlike the Avalanche) and I am still a little bit giddy at the thought that the NHL is in SLC.  Tickets are pretty expensive but they are all resell tickets and I've noticed that the price varies from game to game based on the opponent and decreases the closer you get to game time.  I found three good seats (the Delta Center has terrible sight lines) at a reasonable price for last night's game against the Ottawa Senators (I always like seeing a Canadian team because that means I get to hear "O Canada") and I was beyond excited to go with my sister and brother-in-law.  The three of us already have lots of apparel (my sister urged me to step away from the black and get the blue hoodie) and it was a lot of fun to be with a large crowd showing so much support for the team.  Utah came out in the first period with a lot of intensity and outshot Ottawa 8-1.  Then it all seemed to fall apart when Ottawa's Noah Gregor and Utah's Jack McBain got offsetting penalties at the 11:22 mark resulting in a four on four.  Drake Batherson scored for the Senators 21 seconds later then Claude Giroux made it 2-0 less than 90 seconds later during the same four on four.  Robert Bortuzzo got a holding penalty at 17:50 which allowed the Senators to get a power play goal from Ridly Greig to make it 3-0 (Utah was 8-8 on the penalty kill before tonight) and Brady Tkachuk scored with 8 seconds left in this disastrous period to go up 4-0.  Karel Vejmelka replaced Connor Ingram (who let in four of the nine shots he faced) in net to start the second period and Utah, once again, did everything but score with 14 shots to Ottawa's five.  Utah had a few good opportunities, including a power play, in the third period and ended the night outshooting Ottawa 31-22 (Anton Forsberg was amazing in goal for the Senators) but they still came away empty handed.  They were undefeated at home until last night so it was a bit disappointing to see them lose but I still had a great time.  I loved being able to go to an NHL game with Kristine and Trent and I'm hoping we can go to a few more (we already have tickets to the Calgary Flames game next April with Marilyn).

Utah Hockey Club vs. Colorado Avalanche

I still cannot believe that Utah now has an NHL team!  I was beyond excited to see a preseason game between the Utah Hockey Club and my favorite team yesterday.  I usually have to drive eight hours to see the Colorado Avalanche in action but yesterday it only took about 20 minutes to get to the Maverick Center (it will be even closer when Utah plays in the Delta Center).  I went to the game with my sister Kristine, who has already become a rabid Utah fan, and it was so much fun even though we were cheering for different teams!  There were not a lot of goals scored but the game was still really exciting because of the goaltending by Connor Ingram, especially during the three Utah penalties in the third period because Colorado really put the pressure on.  Utah eventually got the 2-1 win but, even though I was sad to see the Avalanche lose (the preseason has been a disaster for them), I have to admit that I enjoyed seeing the home team for the first time (I never really followed them when they were the Arizona Coyotes).  Besides Ingram, I was really impressed by Dylan Guenther, who got a goal and an assist, and Nick Schmaltz, who got the go-ahead goal.  I will always be a Colorado Avalanche fan but I think I am going to have a lot of fun cheering for Utah this season!