The Mammoth saw goals late in the first and second periods by two of its top scorers to shift momentum before heading into the intermissions. With 2:27 left in the first period, Keller entered the zone, drove to the net, and scored his sixth of the season to tie the game, 1-1. With 1:04 left in the second period, in similar fashion, Nick Schmaltz scored his ninth of the year to cut Ottawa’s lead to 3-2.
“I like the way they generated as well,” Tourigny explained of Keller and Schmaltz. “They attacked the net with speed; they cut at the net. Ottawa is one of the best teams in terms of everything defensively, the way they protect their slot … we did a really good job to get there and have great looks there, so that’s a positive part of our game.”
Momentum continued for the Mammoth at the start of the third period when Jack McBain scored in the opening minute of the final frame. However, Ottawa won a goaltender interference challenge, and the goal was taken off the board.
“It had a lot of impact,” Tourigny said of the goal being called back. “That adversity, it’s adversity, and we need to keep our composure and keep pushing through,” Tourigny shared post-game. “We need to just find a way to be mentally strong and find a way to push the cart across the finish line.”
Minutes later, Ottawa swung momentum back their way when Michael Amadio redirected Thomas Chabot’s shot on the doorstep and increased the Senators lead to 4-2. Utah pulled Vítek Vaněček with three minutes left in regulation and had some close chances. However, the Mammoth were unable to score and lost the second half of the back-to-back, 4-2.
As the Mammoth return to Utah and have a chance to reset, it’s an opportunity to grow from recent adversity.
“I think just not getting down on ourselves,” Schmaltz explained. “When you go through tough stretches and you’re not winning games, you seem to get frustrated easier. When they score, you don’t, we need that drive, that energy.
“We can come back, no matter how many we’re down, one, two, doesn’t matter,” Schmaltz continued. “We got to want it, got to want the puck. We want to be able to make those plays when it counts … we got to be able to stop (goals adding up) and turn the momentum back in our favor and just play our game for a full 60 minutes, because no one can really play with us when we’re playing at our best.”