However, the same cannot be said about Vejmelka. After a fantastic 2024-25 season where he started 55 games and helped the Mammoth press for a playoff spot, which earned him a five-year extension, he\u2019s been quite disappointing.<\/p>\n
Vejmelka currently has a .891 save percentage with a 2.76 goals against average stat line. His save percentage number in particular is the worst he\u2019s put up in any of his seasons in the NHL. However, his performance on Monday helped him start to improve those numbers.<\/p>\n
The goaltender made 33 saves on 34 shots to wind up with a .971 save percentage, the best number he\u2019s put up all season. He made quite a few great saves, but the best one had to be in the first period, where he stopped a puck from going in with the blade of his skate.<\/p>\n
It was a big game for Vejmelka and one that should restore a little bit of confidence in him. It was his best game of the season, and it was against a team that was riding a six-game point streak coming into Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one feels really good,\u201d Vejmelka said. \u201cIt\u2019s a big two points against a really good team, one of the best so far this season. So it feels really good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related: \u2018I\u2019ll Always Be Thankful\u2019: Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring Make Emotional Return to Utah<\/a><\/p>\n This is a game that showed Vejmelka can play the game that impressed the Mammoth so much that they gave him a long-term contract. It wasn\u2019t just a fluke season for the goalie. Now, the next step is for Vejmelka to build off the win and find some consistency and stability.\u00a0<\/p>\n It wouldn\u2019t be surprising if he starts on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens and then again on either Friday or Saturday. Whenever he starts again, he knows the type of game he has to play to keep winning, and it\u2019s the game he played on Monday.<\/p>\n Logan Cooley Ices the Knights<\/p>\n Speaking of long-term contracts, just like Vejmelka, there\u2019s a reason why Logan Cooley got a massive extension<\/a>. While he has struggled in recent weeks, Monday was the game that he needed to have.<\/p>\n Up 1-0 towards the end of the first period, the Mammoth were eying another goal. It\u2019s what they got when Dylan Guenther and Cooley entered the Knights\u2019 zone. Guenther slid the pass over to Cooley to score the second goal of the game.<\/p>\n \u201cAny time you can score early or get chances early, your legs start to feel a little lighter,\u201d Cooley said. \u201cYour body just feels better, and that\u2019s when you\u2019re feeling good and allowing yourself to get chances offensively.\u201d<\/p>\n After a middling second period where the Knights scored a goal, the Mammoth needed to close the game out in the third period. Four minutes into the period, the Knights swarmed Vejmelka, attempting to score the equalizer. The puck got loose and was passed to Jack Eichel. Eichel misplayed the puck behind him and turned it over to Cooley. The young forward charged into the Knights\u2019 zone and put the puck in thanks to a deflection off his own skate to put his team up 3-0.<\/p>\n As soon as the Knights emptied their net towards the end of the game, Cooley immediately hit the ice and threw the puck into the net from the neutral zone to get his second hat trick of the season. Cooley\u2019s night wasn\u2019t done as he scored one more empty net goal to break the franchise record for the most amount of goals scored by a player in a single game.<\/p>\n A night 4\ufe0f\u20e3 the history books. \ud83d\udc4f pic.twitter.com\/OU5vBiyEHI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) November 25, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n The four goals for Cooley placed him in many record books. The first is an impressive one. He is only the fourth player in NHL history to record multiple hat tricks in a single season at age 21 or younger, joining Filip Forsberg, Patrik Laine, and Wayne Gretzky.<\/p>\n Cooley is also the seventh player 21 or younger to score four goals in a game. Finally, he is only one of three players to record multiple hat tricks this season, joining Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini.<\/p>\n That is a lot to accomplish at just age 21. However, Cooley\u2019s maturity is beyond that of an average 21-year-old. He is very hard on himself when it comes to his play. With a lack of production coming his way as of late, it\u2019s been tough, but he knew he would make his way back to his usual consistent production.<\/p>\n The big thing is consistency, and that\u2019s something that, for me, personally, I\u2019m always trying to work on,\u201d Cooley said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t the easiest path to tonight\u2026It\u2019s a grind of a season, mentally, physically, but I think leaning on guys that have experience, family, little things like that, gets you out of it. I was fortunate to have a big game tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Cooley is a massive part of this Mammoth team. He is a game-changer. His play and production have determined the results of some Mammoth games throughout the season. Cooley is a hard worker and one who wants to win every game. As mentioned, he can be hard on himself during the rough patches, but when he\u2019s at his best, he\u2019s a beast.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he gets on the board early, it changes games as well,\u201d said head coach Andr\u00e9 Tourigny after the game. \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit of maturity and, like I often talk about, how competitive he is. When he gets the monkey off his shoulder, he\u2019s a different player. He\u2019s a difference maker. He just needs to be a little bit less tough on himself and allow himself to have a period once in a while where he doesn\u2019t have a point. That\u2019s just normal in (the) league.\u201d<\/p>\n Cooley also picked up an assist on Guenther\u2019s goal, which concluded his night with five points in the bag. He now leads the Mammoth in goals and is second in points behind only Nick Schmaltz, who has 22 points.<\/p>\n This was the game that Cooley needed to get the monkey off his back, as Tourigny said. The Mammoth are hoping this game gets him back to how he was playing during the seven-game winning streak. When Cooley produces, the Mammoth often find themselves winning. Monday was a prime example of that.<\/p>\n Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold<\/p>\n On Thursday, the Mammoth skated off the ice of the Delta Center after suffering a 4-1 loss to the Knights<\/a>. It was a bad performance all around from the home. It was also the team\u2019s fourth straight loss.<\/p>\n On Monday, the script was flipped. The Mammoth played two really good periods, and their best players were going. Goaltending, as mentioned, was reliable, and the team looked pretty solid against one of the best teams in the NHL.<\/p>\n The top six for the Mammoth were unbeatable. Cooley and Guenther showed off their unreal connection. The blueline also contributed with Nate Schmidt<\/a> getting two assists to continue his point streak, which has reached five games.<\/p>\n The penalty kill for the Mammoth was once again elite, allowing nothing on three opportunities. However, when we get to the few bad things that came out of the game, the Mammoth still failed to produce on their own power play. They have only scored once on the man advantage in November.<\/p>\n The second period was also very questionable for the Mammoth. It was expected that the Knights would bounce back after a poor first period. They ended up recording an insane 16 shots compared to the Mammoth\u2019s four. It was not a great look.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did a pretty good job at staying composed,\u201d Tourigny said. \u201cWe did not do a perfect job. You could see the nerve; we didn\u2019t make plays at the same pace, and we didn\u2019t connect as much on our passes. So there\u2019s stuff we can be better at, but that\u2019s why there are 82 games. We still have a lot of things to get better at, but the mindset of the guys was really good.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the Mammoth didn\u2019t squander their lead like they had been doing and defended their lead until the end. It earned them their second straight win, something the team hadn\u2019t accomplished since their seven-game win streak.\u00a0<\/p>\n How the Mammoth played on Monday was the type of play that won them seven straight games throughout October. The way the team handled the lead is something they need to continue to do as well.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way we kind of handled the lead, I think that\u2019s a big thing,\u201d Cooley said. \u201cIn the past, we\u2019ve been up, and get comfortable, and teams start to bury us. I think the game against the Rangers, and tonight, that\u2019s how we know how to play. When we\u2019re doing that, you see the results we get. For us, it\u2019s about staying consistent with this process and not changing anything. There\u2019s still stuff to clean up, but overall I was really happy about our performance the past two nights.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps the best part about the win was that, unlike the Rangers, the Knights are Stanley Cup contenders<\/a>. They will more than likely make the playoffs this season. Beating them is a great look for the Mammoth and instills some confidence you wouldn\u2019t have gotten from beating a team like the Buffalo Sabres or even the Rangers.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re a good team,\u201d Tourigny said. \u201cThey\u2019re a Stanley Cup contender for a reason. We knew they would have a say in what would happen out there, but the intensity and the urgency we have in those situations and the way we protected that front, even if we\u2019re not perfect and even if there are a number of things we would like to get better at, I think the mindset is always the most important thing. I think the guys were really good with it. We were composed, we were intense, and we were even-keeled.\u201d<\/p>\n Plus, the Mammoth got to get some revenge on the Knights for embarrassing them in front of their fans on Thursday. Players remember things like that. I\u2019m sure getting a win against the Knights after playing them less than a week ago put a smile on some of the guys in the locker room. The smiles are deserved. It was a big win and one that the players and team desperately needed.<\/p>\n Next game up for the Mammoth is against the Canadiens on Wednesday. The Canadiens are 11-7-3 this season and are coming off a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>. These two teams last met at the beginning of the month, where the Mammoth lost 6-2.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a>![\"Utah](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Mammoth-Celebrate-3-1200x801.jpg\")
The Utah Mammoth celebrate a goal by center Logan Cooley against the Vegas Golden Knights (Rob Gray-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n![\"SUBSCRIBE](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mammoth_Banner-1200x122.jpg\")
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