Utah Hockey Club takes ice for 1st time with preseason win in Iowa | NHL.com

An announced attendance of 8,851 was at the game Sunday at the arena, home of the Iowa Wild, the Minnesota Wild’s American Hockey League affiliate. When game host Andrew Downs asked who was cheering for which team, the Blues fans were dominant, but Utah definitely had a sizable vocal following.

Fans gave a robust cheer to start the game when the public address announcer welcomed, “the visiting St. Louis Blues, and the inaugural game in the history of the hosts, Utah Hockey Club.”

After Utah forward Dylan Guenther scored a go-ahead goal on a power play 8:05 into the third period, fans behind the St. Louis goal started an audible “Let’s Go Utah” chant.

“It’s always nice to get back into game action,” Guenther said. “We’ve had a few good practices. It’s exciting to see the team come together for camp and nice to get a game under our belts and roll into the next one.”

Utah defenseman Robert Bortuzzo said the atmosphere was “very cool.”

“The rink was great, attendance was great. I thought both teams competed really hard and then gave fans a little shootout there,” Bortuzzo said of the multi-round shootout the teams had following the game. “We appreciate them coming out. Their support goes a long way in this League for all teams.”

Utah was generating interest with its gear, as well. Near Section 108, fans formed a long line to purchase Utah and NHL merchandise, from hats to sweatshirts to T-shirts.

“We actually know one of (Utah’s) trainers, so I follow because of that connection,” said Brooke Vass of Lincoln, Nebraska, who bought a Utah tee and a sweatshirt. “We’re [Pittsburgh] Penguins fans, but I don’t have a Western Conference team yet. So, we’ll see.”

It’s been a busy but thrilling time for the Utah Hockey Club. The firsts are piling up, and they’ve all been enjoyable. Now to play in front of the home fans.

“It’s going to be pretty cool. We can say it when we’re done playing, that we were the first team in Utah,” Guenther said. “It’s cool for us, cool for the players, cool for the fans and it’s going to grow hockey in the state, too.”