Coming off of three straight 20-plus goal seasons, Utah Hockey Club forward Lawson Crouse had been off to a cold start in 2024-25. Coming into the Club's recent two-game road trip, Crouse had just four goals on the season. Perhaps responding to the scrutiny, Crouse found his stride in Utah's matchup against Calgary, finding the back of the net twice in a 5-3 comeback victory over the Flames.

Not to be outdone, his linemate Matias Maccelli scored twice against Dallas on Saturday in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Stars. Now nearing the halfway point of the Utah Hockey Club's inaugural season, the playoff race will be heating up. The upcoming seven-game homestand could make or break the Club's postseason hopes.

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After more than a month removed from game action, Utah Hockey Club fan favorite Liam O'Brien was activated for the game on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. With the team currently in a 5-game tailspin, a lineup change might be exactly what's needed to right the ship. SLC Puck! host Austin Facer wonders if benching one forward in favor of "Spicy Tuna" might give the Club a might needed jolt of energy.

Also, uncertainty continues to revolve around the team's permanent name. Is it possible that the Utah Hockey Club moniker might be here to stay?

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The Utah Hockey Club has lost 8 of its last 10 at home and getting far more positive results on the road. Why? Is it possible the Delta Center doesn't have the home ice advantage fans thought possible prior to the season? Or is it more likely that the Utah Hockey Club is a bit too jazzed up to play in front of a home crowd? Does it come down to composure and managing emotions?

After listening to head coach Andre Tourigny after Friday's loss to Colorado, SLC Puck Austin Facer thinks its a mindset issue, not an issue of performance. Tourigny's experience and levelheadedness will be heavily relied on to help Utah weather the storm and get back to winning in front of the home crowd. And some new home goods to spruce up the locker room probably wouldn't hurt either.

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The sky isn’t quite falling for the Utah Hockey Club, but a shootout loss to Anaheim and a defeat in regulation to Dallas certainly didn’t help the team’s playoff chances. Hopefully, the Club can get back to winning ways with a big game against Colorado on Friday. SLC Puck! host Austin Facer is guessing this game might be the most expensive ticket yet — besides the opener against Chicago on Oct. 8.

Also, it’s been reported that the team is looking to host an outdoor game sometime in the future. Austin speculates on where this game could be held and throws out a wild card idea for a once-in-a-lifetime Utah sports moment.

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The Utah Hockey Club's 5-4 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks wasn't a complete disaster, but it may be costly down the stretch. By SLC Puck host Austin Facer's count, the team has now lost several winnable games outright or in overtime, keeping Utah from winning two critical points in the standings each time. Should the Club be in the hunt for a playoff birth, those points could be the difference between making the postseason or not.

Also, Austin answers the SLC Puck hotline, answering one of the team's newest fans' biggest questions: Where has Spicy Tuna been? That, along with commentary on Jack McBain and Dylan Guenther's house tour make up this episode of SLC Puck!

SLC Puck! is a twice-weekly podcast on Utah's hockey scene hosted by local hockey expert Austin Facer. You can subscribe to SLC Puck's YouTube channel here. Facer also co-hosts the NashCast, the Utah Hockey Club's alt-cast starring NHL funnyman Tyson Nash, available exclusively on SEG+ or Utah HC+.

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It either was a stroke of genius, or perhaps it was just the work of Hollywood's greatest screenwriters. Either way, Utah Hockey Club owner Ryan Smith decided to give away 2,000 tickets -- presumably to many who had never seen a hockey game before -- and it couldn't have gone better.

Fans "packed the barn" and were treated to a show, a 3-2 overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks, featuring goals by Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev. It was a big night for hockey on a Wednesday in December and SLC Puck! host Austin Facer breaks it down.

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So much for all the talk of the Utah Hockey Club finally having a dominating home barn advantage, the team has been much on the road this season. With six straight road victories, this team is making its way back into the playoff hunt, only two points out of the last wildcard spot. On the Mentors Trip, the team earned big wins over the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks.

SLC Puck's Austin Facer wonders if there's something to having moms, dads and sisters with team on the road. If so, Austin thinks they should keep riding the wave, or at least continue letting Lawson's Crouse's sister announce the starting lineups until the streak ends.

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Is it any coincidence that Utah Hockey Club forward Clayton Keller turned in a two-goal performance against the Minnesota Wild, a team put together by general manager Bill Guerin, who passed on naming Keller to the United States' team in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-off? Austin Facer doesn't think so. In fact, he thinks Keller made have been extra motivated against the Wild on Tuesday night. Despite Keller's two power-play goal performance, Utah fell to the Wild 5-4 after the first-ever shootout in franchise history.

That, plus an update on the team's permanent branding and a bit of community goodwill by injured stars, Sean Durzi and John Marino, make up this episode of SLC Puck!

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Broadcasting live from the University of Utah's Mens Division II game against Utah State, Austin hops on to talk about the state of hockey in the Beehive State. Aired Dec. 7, 2024 on @UtahHockey ‘s YouTube.

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The Utah Hockey Club is playing well, with a 3-1-1 record over its last five games heading into Sunday's matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. Two players in particular, forward Nick Schmaltz and defenseman Michael Kesselring, have been excellent. After a slow start to his goal scoring total, Schmaltz has caught fire with four goals in a three game stretch. Kesselring, to his own credit, has been stalwart on the blueline. He seems to live for the moment. In his 100th career game, he made history with the Utah Hockey Club's first ever Gordie Howe hat trick; a goal, an assist and a fighting penalty.

In other news, star prospect Tij Iginla was ruled out for the rest of his season in the WHL with a hip injury. Austin wonders how long that'll set back the 2024 first round pick's development and sends him a care package to lift his spirits.

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