Nobody can accuse the Utah Hockey Club and the Tampa Bay Lightning of playing boring hockey on Saturday afternoon — and it came at a great time.
Utah HC held its “Next Gen. Game,” which was geared toward children. Youngsters held a variety of capacities around the arena, helping out with in-game entertainment, broadcasting, photography and more.
Some kids even got to stand with the players and officials during the singing of The Star-Spangled Banner.
It just so happened that the most goals ever scored in a game at the Delta Center came during Next Gen. Night.
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“Kids like goals,” said Alexander Kerfoot, who was responsible for two of UHC’s tallies. “It wasn’t our plan to go out and score six or give up four, but it’s fun. I think that this was a great atmosphere for kids to come and watch the game. This is a new market. We’re trying to grow hockey here.”
The final score was 6-4 in Utah’s favor, with an additional two Utah goals that came back due to coach’s challenges. Those goals, combined with a spirited fight and rally towels, made the game one to remember.
Logan Cooley, who also scored two goals, was likewise appreciative of the environment in the arena.
“It wasn’t easy when the building’s packed and we weren’t winning in front of our fans,” he said, “but credit to them. They’ve stuck with us when things weren’t going our way, and now when you win in front of them, it’s such an amazing feeling. I like when they have those towels, too.”
How this works
This is a three-part article geared toward three different audiences.
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First, we’ll have “Utah hockey for dummies” for all you new hockey fans. Welcome, by the way — we’re glad you’ve taken an interest in the greatest sport in the world.
Next, we’ll have a section titled “Utah hockey for casual fans,” aimed at those who have a basic understanding of the sport.
Finally, we’ll have “Utah hockey for nerds.” That will be for those of you who, like me, think about nothing but hockey all day, every day.
Feedback is welcome, so let me know what you think in the comments of this article or the comments section on “X.”
Utah Hockey for dummies
Jack McBain made a statement in the second period with his fight against Zemgus Girgensons.
There’s an unwritten (but almost always followed) rule in hockey stating that if you throw a dirty hit, you have to answer for it in the form of a fight.
So, when Girgensons stepped out of the penalty box after serving his time for a bad hit on Michael Kesselring, his gloves came off.
The custom exists for the purpose of vengeance without going to the extreme of an eye-for-eye situation. Nobody wants to see injuries, but that’s what tends to happen when players refuse to answer for bad hits.
It’s also worth pointing out that Girgensons’ hit on Kesselring was, indeed, dirty (contrary to what Lightning fans proclaimed on social media).
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It was late and Kesselring was in a dangerous position, meaning it could have warranted a penalty for either interference or boarding. Girgensons knew it, as did McBain, and that’s why they fought.
Utah Hockey for casual fans
Every “casual fan” is familiar with Cooley at this point, but they might not all be aware of just how good he’s actually been.
According to the NHL public relations department, Cooley became just the fifth active American player to record multiple 20-goal seasons at age 20 or younger.
As I explained in an article earlier this week, Cooley’s entry-level contract has bonuses built into it for certain milestones. Hitting the 20-goal mark guaranteed him an extra $250,000.
Cooley is far from the only player to get that bonus money this season, but he’s one of only four players who aren’t in the last years of their respective deals to do it. You may have heard of the others: Macklin Celebrini, Adam Fantilli and Matvei Michkov.
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That’s elite company.
“It’s always, probably, in the back of your head, but it’s something that, you know, you’re scoring to help the team win,” Cooley said of the achievement. “Individual success is nice, but again, it’s just two big goals that get us the win.”
At any rate, that’s a lot of success for someone who’s just 20.
Utah Hockey Club left wing Michael Carcone (53) and Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) fight for possession of the puck during an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club defenseman Michael Kesselring (7) celebrates after assisting on a goal scored during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club right wing Josh Doan (91) celebrates after scoring during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club center Jack McBain (22) falls and loses control of the puck during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) takes a shot at the goal during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club center Jack McBain (22) and Tampa Bay Lightning center Zemgus Girgensons (28) engage in a fight during an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (81) looks up after falling down during an NHL game against the Utah Hockey Club at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club players stop Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand (22) from scoring during an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club players stop Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand (22) from scoring at the goal during an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) catches the puck after the Tampa Bay Lightning attempted to score during an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) prepares to take a shot at the goal during an NHL game against the Utah Hockey Club at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club players and children stand for the National Anthem before an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club fans celebrate after the Utah Hockey Club scored during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (81) skates the puck toward the goal during an NHL game against the Utah Hockey Club at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club right wing Josh Doan (91) jumps over Tampa Bay Lightning Brandon Halverson (33) during an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club right wing Josh Doan (91) stops as he prepares to jump over Tampa Bay Lightning Brandon Halverson (33), off camera, during an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Color Guard leaves the ice after the National Anthem before an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club defenseman Michael Kesselring (7) drives the puck toward the goal during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Tampa Bay Lightning players celebrate after scoring a goal against the Utah Hockey Club during an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club defenseman Michael Kesselring (7) skates on the ice before an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) celebrates after scoring a goal during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club fans celebrate after the Utah Hockey Club scored during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey Club center Jack McBain (22) and Tampa Bay Lightning center Luke Glendening (11) face-off during an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Hockey for nerds
When a team has a goal overturned due to a coach’s challenge, it can really shift the momentum. When it happens twice in the same game, it can be enough to cause the frustration to boil over.
But that wasn’t the case for Utah on Saturday.
“That’s just where our team grew, and that’s where our team (is) capable of weathering the storm here and there,” said head coach André Tourigny said of his group’s attitude with the two overturned goals.
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In fact, it hasn’t really been the case for Utah all season.
Utah has had goals overturned in 11 games this season. Their record in those games is an astounding 8-1-2. That’s the kind of mindset that it takes to win in the NHL: If you get too low, you lose your confidence. If you get too high, lose the attention to detail that it takes to win.
That mindset was apparent on Saturday outside of the overturned goals, too. On two occasions Utah HC lost their lead, but both times, they went right back out and scored on the very next shift.
If they continue holding their heads high — but not too high — they’ll be in a position to have success for years to come.
What’s next?
Utah is back in action on Monday as the Detroit Red Wings come to town.
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The two teams played in Detroit earlier in the month. Though the game didn’t start the way Utah HC drew it up, they found a way to get back in it and they ultimately walked away with the win.
Another Utah win will be critical in keeping its playoff hopes alive. The Calgary Flames and the St. Louis Blues both won on Saturday, meaning Utah HC remains four points out of the final wild card spot in the NHL’s Western Conference and behind the Blues, Flames and Vancouver Canucks.
Monday’s game starts at 7 p.m. MST and will be featured on both Utah 16 and Utah HC+.
Utah State Aggies (18-3, 9-2 MWC) at New Mexico Lobos (18-4, 9-2 MWC)
Albuquerque, New Mexico; Wednesday, 11 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: New Mexico faces Utah State after Jake Hall scored 27 points in New Mexico’s 90-80 victory over the San Jose State Spartans.
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The Lobos are 12-0 in home games. New Mexico is 2-0 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Aggies have gone 9-2 against MWC opponents. Utah State averages 83.6 points and has outscored opponents by 15.7 points per game.
New Mexico averages 81.5 points, 13.6 more per game than the 67.9 Utah State gives up. Utah State averages 15.6 more points per game (83.6) than New Mexico gives up (68.0).
The Lobos and Aggies square off Wednesday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Hall is scoring 15.5 points per game and averaging 3.2 rebounds for the Lobos. Tomislav Buljan is averaging 13.9 points and 11.1 rebounds over the last 10 games.
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Michael Collins Jr. is shooting 40.3% from beyond the arc with 2.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Aggies, while averaging 18.6 points. Mason Falslev is shooting 51.4% and averaging 16.2 points over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lobos: 8-2, averaging 81.0 points, 34.3 rebounds, 15.0 assists, 8.5 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.4 points per game.
Aggies: 8-2, averaging 81.1 points, 31.6 rebounds, 17.2 assists, 8.2 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 49.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.2 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
A Utah man driving the wrong way on Interstate 80 died over the weekend after colliding head-on with a semitrailer near Evanston.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol confirmed Monday that Duane Derrick, 40, of Logan, Utah, was driving a Chevy pickup the wrong way in the interstate at about 2 p.m. Saturday.
According to witnesses and evidence collected at the scene, Derrick was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes before the collision.
He died at the scene, the WHP reports. The driver of the semitrailer was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.
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The Wyoming Highway Patrol was not available for additional comment at the time of publication.
‘How Did He Not See Him?’
Paige Sequeira of Ogden, Utah, shot a video of the aftermath of Saturday’s accident as she was traveling along I-80.
Her reaction and what she captured on her phone paints a harrowing picture.
The Chevy pickup was beyond totaled. The entire vehicle was smashed into a tangled mess of metal, with wheels nearly twisted off their axles.
The semitrailer was hundreds of feet away, having driven off the highway and down an embankment toward a housing development.
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Its forward engine and drive axle were nearly severed from the rest of the cab, a testament to the force of the impact.
The shoulder was covered with large debris from both vehicles.
Sequeria openly questioned, “How did he not see him?”
According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, both vehicles “reacted and swerved to the north shoulder, colliding head-on.”
Derrick was wearing his seat belt when the collision happened, WHP reports.
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Rough Start
Derrick’s death was the seventh fatality on Wyoming’s roadways so far in 2026. There were six fatalities at this point in 2025, and two in 2024.
Wyoming is already one of the deadliest states for trucking.
Statistics compiled by the Truck Safety Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization, show Wyoming had seven fatalities per 100,000 population in the last year, topping the list as the deadliest state.
According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s crash data, 90% of commercial motor vehicle crashes on I-80 involve non-Wyoming resident drivers, and 78% of those crashes happened during inclement weather.
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Saturday’s crash was another on what truckers call “The Gauntlet,” the stretch of I-80 through Wyoming that runs between Evanston and Pine Bluffs. However, analyses like these are often skewed by Wyoming’s small population.
“In a rural state like Wyoming, with one of the smallest populations but some of the highest truck miles traveled per capita in the nation, even a small number of crashes can dramatically skew the results,” Kevin Hawley, president of the Wyoming Trucking Association, previously told Cowboy State Daily. “This makes Wyoming appear ‘deadlier’ than larger states with far higher crash totals.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
SPRINGVILLE, Utah — Police arrested a man whom they say is a “habitual offender” of driving under the influence after he crashed into a patrol vehicle.
A Utah County Sheriff’s deputy said he was patrolling in Springville early Sunday morning when a pickup truck driven by Richard Andrew Roberson, 38, collided with his vehicle. The deputy said he was stopped at a stop sign when Roberson hit him from behind.
When the deputy approached Roberson’s vehicle at a nearby gas station, he said the suspect showed signs of being intoxicated and also smelled like alcohol. He agreed to a field sobriety test, during which the officer said he showed multiple signs of being impaired.
Roberson was then arrested, and police say a urine test showed positive results for alcohol and marijuana, while a blood test is pending.
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Police said Roberson’s driver’s license from California is currently suspended, and his vehicle was not insured.
While looking into Roberson’s background, police say they discovered that he’s had “nearly a dozen” DUI charges or convictions across four different states. His most recent convictions were in 2016 and 2017 in another state, but his most recent DUI charges were a pair of incidents in Utah within the past two months.
The arresting officer wrote that these factors indicate that Roberson “is a habitual offender and is a danger to the public.”
Roberson was arrested for felony DUI, driving on a suspended license, and operating a vehicle without insurance. A judge denied bail.