SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 08: Logan Cooley #92 of Utah Hockey Club skates against the Chicago Blackhawks at Delta Center on October 08, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. This game is the first for the franchise in Utah following their relocation from Arizona. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – In the first period against the Golden Knights, Utah Hockey Club forward Logan Cooley occupied the slot and found the top shelf to give Utah a 1-0 lead.
Utah had the upper hand in shots in the first period and that advantage showed as Cooley was the first to break through.
COOLEY!!
And we’re on the board 1️⃣st! pic.twitter.com/3s10NiBZVZ
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) November 16, 2024
The goal was Cooley’s third on the season.
Funny enough, his last score also came against the Golden Knights when Utah went into Las Vegas on November 2.
Cooley has nine assists to go along with his three goals. That mark is second on the team only behind Nick Schmaltz.
Great atmosphere tonight. Most bodies in the building since the home opener. Appears to be a completely packed building. https://t.co/5WFauuhaIa
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 16, 2024
Cooley jumped into a five-way tie for fifth-most Utah HC goals at three. He also has the third-most points for Utah this season, tied with Schmaltz behind Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther.
His early goal was the only score in the opening period and Utah carried the 1-0 lead into the second.
After a strong start to their inaugural season, the Utah Hockey Club has endured a significantly tough stretch.
Over nine games, the team was shut out three times, outscored 31-19, and posted a 2-5-2 record.
According to head coach Andre Tourigny, this difficult stretch has forced the team into a “solution mode” in an attempt to turn things around.
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Can’t wait to see these in the crowd tonight! pic.twitter.com/Vksa656CXS
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) November 15, 2024
As one of Utah’s most seasoned veterans and someone who knows how to turn things around as a member of the 2016 Stanley Cup Champion Penguins roster who flipped a nightmare season into a dream, defenseman Ian Cole shared that Utah needs to look at it from every angle and be open to necessary changes.
“Along the way here, we need to continue to make changes and be mature about it and say hey, this is what worked, this is what didn’t work, we’re going to continue to do this, we’re going to change this, and we’re going to improve this,” Cole said regarding the situation.
“We need to take a step back, try to look at it as objectively as we can. I mean, some of the underlying numbers are really good, some of them aren’t good enough. So, what do we need to fix, what do we need to change, what do we keep the same, what do we improve on? These are all questions we’re trying to systematically answer and move forward.” he added.
