Utah

Schmaltz’ hat trick lifts Mammoth over Sharks

Published

3 months ago

October 18, 2025

Schmaltz’ hat trick lifts Mammoth over Sharks

On Jan. 26, 2023, Nick Schmaltz’ grandfather went to Arizona to watch his grandson play for the first time. Schmaltz scored his first-ever hat trick, plus an assist, that night in the Coyotes’ 5-0 win over the St. Louis Blues.

On Friday, his grandfather came to Utah to watch him for the second time. Grandfather must be a lucky charm because Schmaltz scored his second career hat trick, plus an assist, in the Mammoth’s 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks.

Heading into this four-game home stand, the Mammoth were 1-2-0. Two games into it, they’re a much better 3-2-0.

Quick catchup

Utah Mammoth: 6

San Jose Sharks: 3

Believe it or not, the game started with a Schmaltz scoring chance that he just missed, sliding the puck through the crease and out. Had it gone in, he would have finished his hat trick in the first period.

Logan Cooley had a similar miss in the first minute, too, but the Mammoth didn’t let the squandered opportunities get them down. Before the end of the frame, Schmaltz had his first two goals.

The Sharks tied it up with a pair of quick goals in the second period, but the Mammoth proved their resilience again, retaking the lead with four minutes left in the period.

It was Liam “Spicy Tuna” O’Brien who put the Mammoth on top. It was his first goal since April 17, 2024 — the final game of the Arizona Coyotes’ existence.

It would have been the game-winner, too, if Macklin Celebrini hadn’t scored on the power play with three minutes left in the game.

The third period consisted of three Mammoth goals and one from the Sharks, further solidifying the home team’s lead and the home crowd’s jubilation.

When the clock hit 30 seconds remaining, the fans rose to their feet and gave their guys an ovation.

“They’re amazing. Our fans are the best,” O’Brien said after the game. “I just appreciate that support that we all have. It’s so fun to play here in front of those fans.”

Utah Mammoth center Liam O’Brien (38) celebrates after a goal with left wing Brandon Tanev, left, during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak) | AP

Takeaways

The power play strikes back

After the Mammoth fizzled out on the power play on Wednesday — 0 for 6, putting them at a league-worst 1-for-16 on the season — something needed to change.

At morning skate on Friday, head coach André Tourigny asserted that there was nothing wrong with the power play, pointing out that they had ample scoring chances, but just couldn’t convert on any of them.

I asked Tourigny if there would be any changes to the power play. He asked what I didn’t like about the power play, and I said that they’re 1/16 on the season.
He said there won’t be any changes because the guys were getting lots of good looks, regardless of whether those…
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— Brogan Houston (@houston_brogan) October 17, 2025

They did end up making one change: They put Schmaltz back in the bumper position, where he’d almost always played, and put Dylan Guenther back on the wing, where the entire league knows how dangerous he can be.

They’d swapped spots against the Flames, and it just didn’t work. Based on Schmaltz’ success, it’s clear that the change was what they needed.

“I still think we’ve got room to improve,” Schmaltz said. “We had a lot of looks last game. Tonight we had a 5-on-3, obviously that was a big goal, but I still think we have room to grow.

“We’ve been a successful unit in the past, so once we start clicking, once we see a few more go in, our percentage will skyrocket for us.”

The Mammoth are now the 30th-best power play in the NHL, and they have plenty of time to continue climbing the ranks.

Don’t forget about Keller

Schmaltz’s goals make him the main story of the game, but Clayton Keller deserves just as much credit, as he assisted on all three of Schmaltz’ tallies.

Midway through the third, Schmaltz decided to return the favor. Recognizing that Keller was open on the left wing, Schmaltz dished it to the captain, who made no mistake firing it past Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov.

“(I) definitely owed him one, at least,” Schmaltz said. “He made some great plays to me tonight.”

Keller wasn’t exactly in a slump coming into this game, but his lone point of the season came in the opening game, so you know he was ready to break out. He’s now up to a point-per-game average.

No more turtling

Aside from the unlucky power play, the biggest criticism of Utah’s game on Wednesday was the way the team attempted to hold onto the lead: getting the puck out of the zone, then letting the play come right back to them.

That tendency lost Utah a number of games last season (including one particularly infamous loss to the Sharks). At morning skate on Friday, associate captain Lawson Crouse agreed that they had to change in that regard.

“We’ve got to do a better job of grabbing the puck and grinding down deep in their zone,” he told the Deseret News. “The best defense is when you’re playing offense. … It’s human nature: You’re wired to protect. We’ve got to find that happy medium of protecting while staying aggressive.”

That evening, the Mammoth found that happy medium. Rather than sitting on the lead and just trying to kill the clock, they kept the offensive pressure going.

Sure, they allowed a goal during that time, but they also scored three of their own, which wouldn’t have happened if they’d just focused on defense.

Goal of the game

Nick Schmaltz’s hat trick

Schmaltz’s third goal triggered something the Delta Center had never hosted before: hats raining down onto the ice.

It’s tradition for hockey fans to throw their hats on the ice when someone scores a hat trick. Teams have the liberty to do what they want with the hats. Some donate them to shelters and thrift stores, others display them in the building and some even offer them back to the fans.

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Utah

Oklahoma State visits Utah after Dawes’ 23-point outing

Published

1 hour ago

January 30, 2026

Press Room

Oklahoma State visits Utah after Dawes’ 23-point outing

Oklahoma State Cowboys (14-6, 2-5 Big 12) at Utah Utes (9-11, 1-6 Big 12)

Salt Lake City; Saturday, 6 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Utah takes on Oklahoma State after Keanu Dawes scored 23 points in Utah’s 91-78 loss to the BYU Cougars.

The Utes are 8-3 on their home court. Utah is 2-5 in games decided by at least 10 points.

The Cowboys have gone 2-5 against Big 12 opponents. Oklahoma State scores 86.2 points and has outscored opponents by 5.8 points per game.

Utah makes 46.6% of its shots from the field this season, which is 2.5 percentage points higher than Oklahoma State has allowed to its opponents (44.1%). Oklahoma State averages 86.2 points per game, 4.7 more than the 81.5 Utah allows.

The Utes and Cowboys face off Saturday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Terrence Brown is scoring 22.2 points per game with 2.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists for the Utes. Don McHenry is averaging 18.5 points over the last 10 games.

Kanye Clary is averaging 9.6 points and 4.9 assists for the Cowboys. Anthony Roy is averaging 18.3 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Utes: 2-8, averaging 78.7 points, 28.5 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 5.7 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 84.3 points per game.

Cowboys: 5-5, averaging 82.5 points, 32.1 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 8.3 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 83.5 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Utah

New Utah County school districts officially name inaugural superintendents

Published

13 hours ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

New Utah County school districts officially name inaugural superintendents

PROVO, Utah (KUTV) — Superintendents for the three new Utah County school districts have officially been selected by their respective school boards.

Dr. Joel Perkins was sworn in as the superintendent for Aspen Peaks School District, Dr. Vicki Carter was named the superintendent for the Lake Mountain School District, and Dr. Joseph N. Jensen was selected as the superintendent for Timpanogos School District.

The three school districts will officially begin operating in July 2027 after voters approved breaking the existing school district – The Alpine School District – into three new ones in 2024.

The Aspen Peaks School District will oversee schools in Lehi, American Fork, Highland, Cedar Hills and Alpine. Lake Mountain covers schools in Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Cedar Valley, Cedar Fort and Fairfield. The Timpanogos School District will be made up of schools in Lindon, Pleasant Grove, Orem and Vineyard.

MORE | Alpine School District

Eye On Education (Graphic: KUTV)

Dr. Perkins, who serves as the current associate superintendent in the Alpine School District, will continue to serve in his role until June 30 of this year. Aspen Peaks officials said Perkins will then work with the school board to hire staff, determine funding, and consider school boundaries.

“This is my community. I have lived here and worked here for the last 27 years. My family and I have invested our hearts and souls into the schools in this area,” said Perkins. “I love the students, families, and employees here. It is the honor of a lifetime to partner with this community to build the new Aspen Peaks School District.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Vicki Carter was named as the inaugural superintendent for Lake Mountain after an “exhaustive search” with over 20 applicants. The Lake Mountain school board described Dr. Carter as a veteran educator with 35 years of experience who is dedicated to building trust, respect and academic excellence.

The Lake Mountain School Board also named Dr. Amanda Bollinger, who has 25 years in Utah education, as deputy superintendent.

“We are proud to launch our district with such a distinguished team,” said Lake Mountain Board President Julie King. “They are seamlessly aligned with our vision for innovation and student success.”

In the Timpanogos School District, the school board said Dr. Joseph Jensen brings decades of educational leadership experience that was “deeply rooted” in the school district’s communities. His career has seen him serving students and families in Oak Canyon, Orem High, Orem Junior High and Timpanogos High, most recently as the Alpine School District’s Director of Administrative Development.

“I love the people in these communities. I lived in Pleasant Grove for ten years and spent my entire administrative career serving students, teachers, and families in Orem, Vineyard and Lindon,” said Dr. Jensen. “I have countless memories of exceptional teachers, coaches, and support staff who work tirelessly to develop young people – in classrooms, extracurricular activities, and programs.”

The Timpanogos School District said Jensen intends to visit all 29 schools in the district to “listen, learn, and connect with staff, parents and administrators.”

The three school districts now move on to the next step ahead of their 2027 launch, including filling additional roles such as business administrators.

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Utah

Curry helps Golden State bury Utah 140-124 behind a flurry of 3-pointers

Published

1 day ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

Curry helps Golden State bury Utah 140-124 behind a flurry of 3-pointers

By John Coon, The Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — Stephen Curry scored 27 points, Moses Moody had 26 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Utah Jazz 140-124 on Wednesday night.

Gui Santos had 16 points off the bench for the Warriors. Golden State made 23 3-pointers and never trailed over the final three quarters. Moody led the way with five 3s.

The 140 points scored by the Warriors was their season high.

Brice Sensabaugh scored 22 points off the bench for Utah. Keyonte George had 19 points and seven assists. Ace Bailey also scored 19 points for the Jazz and Lauri Markkanen had 18.

Utah trimmed a 22-point deficit to single digits entering the fourth quarter. The Jazz drew to 108-100 on a pair of free throws from Isaiah Collier with 9:52 left. Curry made back-to-back baskets to restore a double-digit lead.

Golden State used a 20-2 run to go up 136-109 with 3:29 left.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, center, has the ball knocked away by Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski, right, as he was driving to the basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Golden State made it rain from the perimeter early, going 15 of 31 from long distance before halftime. Eight different players made an outside basket for the Warriors in the first half. Buddy Hield and Moody accounted for three apiece before halftime.

Hield buried back-to-back 3s a minute into the second quarter to cap a 19-8 run that gave Golden State a 40-24 lead. The Warriors built a 16-point lead three other times in the second quarter — the final time when Quinten Post made a 3-pointer to make it 64-48.

Golden State expanded its lead to 22 points in the third quarter, going up 91-69 on a pair of free throws from Curry.