Utah
Rangers give Utah ‘positive review’ after playing in state for first time
SALT LAKE CITY — Delta Center became the 91st unique venue in which the Rangers have played a regular-season game Thursday night when they beat Utah Hockey Club, 5-3, for the first time.
There’s always a sort of buzz to a team that’s competing in a new place, and the Blueshirts were no different.
The NHL era in Utah came quickly thanks to the diligence of owner Ryan Smith, who had been working on getting a team since 2022.
When arena and ownership issues hit a breaking point in Arizona back in April, Smith purchased the Coyotes assets from owner Alex Meruelo for $1.2 billion.
Now, Utah is the 25th state or district in which the Blueshirts have played.
In October, the Salt Lake City Council voted unanimously to approve and help fund Smith Entertainment Group’s renovation plans of Delta Center, which was constructed for the NBA Jazz and needs to be fixed for dual use with hockey now on the schedule, too.
The remodel, which is expected to unfold in three phases and address the 4,000-5,000 seats with obstructed views of the ice, is expected to be completed by the start of the 2027-28 NHL and NBA seasons.
“It felt pretty good,” Braden Schneider told The Post of his first touch of Delta Center ice. “I think it’s a cool rink. It’s a little different, it’s pretty steep. It looks nice. Everything that’s here with it is really nice. I think it’s a positive review from me.”
The commitment to making hockey work in Utah is evident in the city’s planned contribution of $900 million, as well as in SEG’s pledge to invest a minimum of $3 billion, according to the Sports Business Journal.
Hockey, however, already had a presence in Salt Lake City.
Before Utah H.C., which is supposed to announce a permanent name between the end of this season and the draft, there were the Utah Grizzlies (now of the ECHL) and the Salt Lake Golden Eagles (defunct).
Peter Laviolette played for the Denver Rangers in 1988-89, which was also the last time the Rangers head coach was in the city.
He got a good laugh remembering how there weren’t many IHL teams around either Denver or Salt Lake City back then.
“God, we must’ve played them 25 times,” he said with a smile after the Rangers held an optional practice at the Olympic Oval in nearby Kearns.
The Oval, which was built for indoor speed skating at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, was packed on a Wednesday afternoon with youth hockey and curling practice on the opposite side of where the Rangers skated.
Players had to walk from the Rangers locker room underneath the main level, up a couple flights of stairs and into their designated rink, which was surrounded by a massive speed skating sheet that wrapped around the entire facility.
The arenas and city may be new to most of the Rangers but not for Laviolette or assistant Michael Peca.
Peca has fond memories after winning a gold medal with Team Canada in 2002.
“Practice at the practice arena [felt] good for me because I know the Olympic Games were there,” Artemi Panarin told The Post before the game Thursday. “For me, Olympic Games are something special, and I just enjoy that energy from the arena. Pretty fun.”
Igor Shesterkin stopped 28 of the 31 shots he faced in his 14th victory of the season.
Zac Jones was a healthy scratch for the 10th straight game and the 12th time in the last 13.
The Rangers scored a shorthanded goal for the second straight game, which gave the team seven on the season. That’s good for third in the NHL behind only the Panthers (11) and Lightning (8).
Utah
Utah Royals FC Returns Home to Host Racing Louisville FC Chasing Eight Match Unbeaten Streak | Utah Royals
HERRIMAN, Utah (Thursday, May 14, 2026) — Utah Royals FC (5-2-2, 17 pts) returns to the Beehive State this weekend to host Racing Louisville FC (2-1-5, 7 pts) for the first meeting between the two clubs during the 2026 campaign on Sunday, May 17, at America First Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. MT.
Utah enters Sunday’s contest following a hard-fought 0-0 road draw against Bay FC at PayPal Park, earning another clean sheet while continuing the club’s streak of never allowing Bay FC to score at home against Utah Royals FC. The point on the road marked Utah’s 11th away point of the 2026 campaign, equaling the club’s combined road-point total from both the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
The Royals were tested throughout the opening half, with one of Bay FC’s best opportunities coming in the 40th minute when Racheal Kundananji broke forward on a dangerous run through the middle of the pitch before entering the penalty area. Midfielder Narumi came up with a crucial defensive stop, diving in front of the attempt and deflecting the shot away with her leg to preserve the scoreless draw. The sequence highlighted Utah’s defensive commitment, with multiple Royals players sprinting back to disrupt the Bay FC attack and protect the clean sheet heading into halftime.
Utah continued to remain organized defensively throughout the second half, limiting Bay FC’s opportunities and securing its fifth clean sheet of the 2026 season. The result extended the Royals’ unbeaten streak to seven consecutive matches while also leaving Bay FC winless against Utah through five all-time meetings between the clubs.
With the result, Utah extended its unbeaten streak to seven consecutive matches, continuing the Royals’ impressive run of form heading into Sunday’s home match against Racing Louisville FC.
Head Coach Jimmy Coenraets and his squad now look to build on an impressive seven-match unbeaten streak, alongside multiple consecutive clean sheets against Chicago Stars FC, Seattle Reign FC, Angel City FC, Houston Dash, and most recently Bay FC. The result against Bay extended Utah’s strong run of form as the Royals continue to establish themselves as one of the league’s toughest defensive sides. Utah now returns home looking to carry that momentum into America First Field in front of its home crowd while aiming to extend both its unbeaten streak and defensive success.
Now in his second full season at the helm, Head Coach Coenraets continues molding a balanced squad built on defensive discipline, midfield control, and attacking creativity. Sunday’s contest presents another opportunity for Utah to extend its unbeaten streak to eight consecutive matches while collecting crucial points at home in front of the club’s supporters at America First Field.
Racing Louisville FC enters the matchup with a 2-1-5 record, most recently earning a 3-1 home victory over Portland Thorns FC after suffering back-to-back defeats. Led by Head Coach Bev Yanez, Racing Louisville FC will look to build on its return to winning form and secure all three points on the road at America First Field.
Sunday’s contest marks the tenth match of the 2026 NWSL regular season for the Royals and the ninth for Racing Louisville FC, with both sides aiming to secure valuable early-season points and strengthen their position in the league standings.
WATCH LIVE on Victory+ with Josh Eastern and McCall Zerboni :: Utah Royals FC vs Racing Louisville | America First Field | 6:00 p.m. MT
WATCH LIVE on Victory+ with Kelley O’Hara and Ali Riley :: Utah Royals FC vs Racing Louisville | America First Field | 6:00 p.m. MT
LISTEN via KSL Sports Radio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) starting at 5:30 p.m. MT
Following Sunday’s match, Utah Royals FC will remain in the Beehive State to host inaugural side Denver Summit FC on Saturday, May 23, at America First Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. MT, with tickets available for purchase here.
Utah
‘It means building hope’: USU brings independence to refugee group through chicken coop project
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Refugee communities in Utah are being supplied with farm-fresh eggs and poultry thanks to a collaborative effort between Utah State University and Utah Refugee Goats.
According to Utah Refugee Goats (URG), their goat and poultry farm supplies refugee communities with reliable, affordable and culturally familiar sources of meat. Thanks to Utah State University (USU) agriculture students, it’s getting some ‘egg’stra attention.
Over the last 10 weeks, Brad Borges, a Ph.D candidate for career and technical education, has been taking a hands-on approach with his students to construct a new chicken coop with the support of a mobile construction lab and a $20,000 grant.
According to URG President Abdikadir Hussein, the coop is equipped with fully enclosed roofs and will increase their flock by 40%, meaning faster growth for the Salt Lake City-based farm. As a refugee, though, Hussein said it means even more.
“It means resiliency. It means independence. It means building hope. Hopelessness is something that is killing the most refugees inside,” he expressed. “I came as a refugee, and hope is the last everything that ever came to mind.”
“We feel like even the birds are happy, like they want to get into there,” he added.
From the student perspective, being able to build a project that will be used to generate money for refugee groups was incredibly engaging and inspirational, according to Borges. The sentiment is shared by Joseph Okoh, extension assistant professor of small acreage livestock.
“It’s a win-win situation for everyone,” Okoh said. One, we are getting the coop for the refugee group, these students are going to learn from the construction of the coop, and not only that, everybody is going to be happy to be part of this community to be able to develop a better coop for better production.”
To learn more about issues facing refugees in Utah and how to support them, visit Utah Refugee Goats’ website.
Via 313 is launching a brand new pizza in Utah and it’s four flavors in one!
The DLX 313 is a large, four-flavor pizza is double cut into 16 slices, making it perfect for groups, sharing or first-timers looking to taste it all.
It includes:
- The Detroiter with smoked pepperoni under the cheese and natural casing pepperoni on top
- The Ambassador Bridge loaded with pepperoni, sausage, fresh garlic, oregano and house-made ricotta
- The Cadillac featuring prosciutto, gorgonzola, parmesan, fig preserves and balsamic glaze
- The Bobo Brazil brings the heat with hot calabrese, sausage, red pepper flakes and Mike’s Hot Honey
Alongside the DLX 313, Via 313 is also featuring a full summer LTO lineup through Aug. 2, including the new Elote Pizza, Meat & Cheese Boards, Banana Pudding and seasonal cocktails.
You can learn more at via313.com or by visiting them at 6163 S. State Street in Murray.
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