Utah Hockey Club's First Game Sees Disastrous Start

Before pulling off a comeback win in their preseason debut, Utah Hockey Club struggled out of the gate.

Sep 22, 2024; Des Moines, Iowa, USA; Utah Hockey Club forward Michael Carcone (53) celebrates with Utah Hockey Club forward Austin Poganski (89)] and Utah Hockey Club forward Ben McCartney (62) after scoring the first goal in franchise history against the St. Louis Blues at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images / Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

To kick off their inaugural season, the Utah Hockey Club took to the ice for the first time in their preseason debut. With their first game, it’s expected that someone from Utah would break through for the organization’s first goal, but it didn’t go quite as expected.

In their unofficial debut as a team against the St. Louis Blues, the unofficial first goal from Utah was a bit of a disaster. Already down by a goal in the second period, Utah pulled their goalie for the extra attacker as the Blues had a delayed penalty upcoming.

With the goalie out, Utah attempted to work the puck around the Blues’ zone, but a simple pass from Milos Kelemen missed the stick of Dylan Guenther. The loose puck drifted into Utah’s zone and slowly rolled into the wide-open cage.

The own goal was credited to Blues’ defenseman Anton Malmstrom and gave them a 2-0 lead. The Blues had some fun with the moment, sending congratulations to Utah on their first goal in franchise history.

Congratulations to Utah on their first goal as a franchise. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/eM2GwZCSO3

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) September 23, 2024

Hopefully, this isn’t a bad omen for the newest team in the NHL, who finally look to break away from the turmoil that followed them as the Arizona Coyotes.

To make up for the own goal, Utah went on to win the game 5-3 and kick off their preseason on the right foot. The first member of the Utah Hockey Club to score an official preseason goal was Michael Carcone.

Guenther made up for missing the pass that led to the own goal by potting a tally of his own.

The Utah Hockey Club’s first preseason game against the Blues took place at a neutral site. The two teams faced off at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moinse, Iowa.

Utah will make their regular season debut at home at the Delta Center against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 8.

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