SALT LAKE CITY- For 35 minutes, it seemed that the Utah Hockey Club and Winnipeg Jets might spend the entirety of regulation goalless. That was until Olli Maatta and Logan Cooley netted two in the last four minutes of the second period.
Utah entered the third period defending a two-goal lead, and it was very clear that the Jets were going to push the envelope on the offensive end from the get-go, meaning the Hockey Club was going to see more lanes open, leading to scoring chances.
Five minutes into the period, Winnipeg made their initial effort, but their desperation led to a sloppy possession that resulted in a turnover near the blue line.
The puck got poked out of the Jets’ zone and leaked through the neutral zone and into Utah’s offensive zone. Josh Doan beat Neal Pionk in a foot race and was able to poke the puck into the middle of the ice where Barrett Hayton was streaking toward the net. He gained control and flipped the puck right over Connor Hellebuyck for Utah’s third goal of the game
The effort from Doan here is amazing.
He's doing exactly what he's been asked and it's paying off. https://t.co/tGVdhHAuJc
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 21, 2025
The situation became even for urgent for Winnipeg who was now down three goals to nothing, and unfortunately for the Jets, their over-effort led to another scoring chance for the Hockey Club.
The puck came back up to Dylan Samberg, but as he tried to control the puck, he slipped, leaving Barrett Hayton unmarked and streaking with a man-advantage toward Connor Hellebuyck.
Hayton slid the puck across the ice to Josh Doan, casing Hellebuyck to turn fully toward him. With the goalie fully committed to Doan and expecting a shot, Josh made the unselfish play and left the puck for Matias Maccelli who slapped the puck into the empty net to give the home team a 4-0 lead.
Beautiful play.
Another fantastic setup from Doan. Definition of hustle. https://t.co/qrZxs70sx7
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 21, 2025
Winnipeg was able to get two goals back with scores from Nino Niederreiter and Dylan DeMelo, but Utah still leads the Jets 4-2 in the third period.
Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka was sporting a new dinosaur-themed mask at morning skate on Monday ahead of the team’s matchup with the Winnipeg Jets.
Karel Vejmelka has a new helmet inspired by Utah’s history of dinosaurs.
He also loved dinosaurs as a kid and is very pleased with how it turned out. pic.twitter.com/yK5xeU3O92
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 20, 2025
Now minding the net for the Utah Hockey Club after the team’s relocation from Arizona, Vejmelka drew inspiration for his new mask from Utah’s rich history of dinosaurs.
Known for its dinosaur fossils and other related discoveries, including Dinosaur National Monument near Vernal, UT, the beehive state boasts an impressive number of dinosaur parks and museums.
With an appreciation for dinosaurs since he was a child, Vejmelka seized the opportunity to include them on his new mask.
“I heard all about the history of Utah and dinosaur fossils. I liked dinosaurs when I was child and played a lot with them,” Vejmelka said.
“It was a good inspiration for me and a good chance to do it here. I like it a lot. There’s a lot of detail on the mask with a big raptor on the top.”
The helmet also features a similar design to the Jurassic Park logo on the right side and “Utah Hockey Club” wrapped around the bottom in a similar font.
His number 70 can also be found on the front below the actual cage.
