Mammoth return to ancestral stomping grounds on a Western Conference rampage
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — The Utah Mammoth returned to their ancestral stomping grounds Sunday night on a Western Conference rampage.
Dylan Guenther broke a late tie and the Mammoth — a spin-off of the World Hockey Association-born version of the Winnipeg Jets via Arizona — beat the current Jets club 3-2 on Sunday night for their seventh straight victory.
“It’s great,” Guenther said. “Winning’s fun and we’re playing a lot of games, too. We’ll just continue to keep it rolling and enjoy this one a bit and get ready for the next one.”
Guenther had his fourth winning goal of the season and has seven points in his last five games. He pointed to the Mammoth netminders.
“That’s the biggest part of your team, really, is your goaltending,” Guenther said. “They’ve been unbelievable.”
Vitek Vanecek made 28 saves to stave off the Jets. On Saturday night in Minnesota, Karel Vejmelka stopped 32 shot in a 6-2 victory.
“Good performance by V (Vanecek),” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “First, he made a key save at a key moment. Ass well as our fourth line, I think, gave us a lot of energy.”
Tourigny also credited the change in his players’ outlook after they improved their record to 8-2.
“I think we dig deep, and last year, there’s a lot of frustration where against that kind of a team (Jets), we were there after two (periods) and we played good, but we could not find a way to get the two points,” he said.
“Tonight, we did. We’re there after two (on a back-to-back) and we find a way in the tough schedule, so I’m proud of the boys. I think there’s a level of maturity, obviously, but I think it’s more in the demeanor on the bench. When adversity hits, the guys stay composed.”
Guenther concurred.
“We’ve talked about it a lot in the past but we’re living it now,” he said. “I mean, we’ve got a lot of good veterans on our team and us younger guys are just starting to embrace it and it’s just a part of us now. It’s a good learning experience and we just keep getting better.”
The Mammoth are at Edmonton on Tuesday night.
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