Technically, Utah didn’t play its first home game of the preseason tonight— its preseason loss to Los Angeles in Boise was considered a home game after all. But with its first game in front of fans at the newly renovated Delta Center, the Mammoth secured a 2-1 win and, for the time being, can say they are undefeated at their shiny, new home arena. With brand-new seating and coach André Tourigny calling the ice conditions “significantly better” than last year thanks to a new dehumidifier, the Delta Center looks ready to showcase Mammoth wins. The game started as you'd expect, slow for the most part with both teams looking like they were figuring out to skate with each their teammates again. For the first 15 minutes, the most notable sight wasn’t the game itself but the new Mammoth logo on the ice and the official Mammoth jerseys being sold in the team store for the first time. But it wouldn't take too long before a Kevin Stenlund goal got the whole crowd cheering and excited for hockey again. It was perfect across the board on this goal, from Stenlund's stick placement to Lawson Crouse's pass—even the puck’s trajectory was perfect as it went precisely through Kings goalie Anton Forsberg's legs. "Ever since we brought 'Stenny' in, he's been an impact player for our group," said Crouse. "No matter what he's doing, he's doing it well." While the Kings eventually responded with a goal from Alex Turcotte in the second, it didn’t take long before Crouse would make another great play, this time scoring himself. Crouse's goal was the product of good transitional movement by Utah, with the puck in its own defensive zone just seconds earlier. It was a good sign to see Crouse capitalizing on opportunities, as he did with this goal and his assist on the earlier one. "[Crouse] has had a hell of a training camp," said coach André Tourigny. "On every aspect, on his toughness, on his leadership... his offense, everything." While it certainly was just a preseason game that didn't have any implications, it was good that Utah was able to both shake off the rust and get a win. Though it would have been nicer for Utah Mammoth if guys like Logan Cooley, Jack McBain and Alexander Kerfoot healthy and playing. But there will be time to heal up. Utah still has a week left before it plays its season opener on the road against Colorado. Until that game happens, Utah has one remaining preseason game against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. MT.
