O\u2019Brien played his first game in two months and scored his third of the season in the third period. In addition to his goal, he led the Mammoth with six hits. \u2018Spicy Tuna\u2019 helped bring physicality in the absence of center Jack McBain who is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cHeck of a goal by (O\u2019Brien) there too,\u201d Keller said of his teammate. \u201cThat was unreal. He\u2019s such a great teammate, great guy, and he grinds every single day. That\u2019s awesome to see too.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to O\u2019Brien, defenseman Nick DeSimone also drew back into the lineup as blueliner MacKenzie Weegar is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. DeSimone had an assist in the win and played 15:54 in his first game since Mar. 10.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure everyone on the team can\u2019t say enough good things about (DeSimone),\u201d Marino shared. \u201cHe\u2019s been doing it the whole year, in and out of the lineup, and when he comes in, he can play 20 minutes and make it look pretty easy. He\u2019s super undervalued and we\u2019re just glad he\u2019s on our team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both players were able to have impacts, despite not playing recently. This shows the depth that the Mammoth have, something that continues to be incredibly valuable.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth of those two guys, I trust them,\u201d head coach Andr\u00e9 Tourigny said. \u201cThey play the right way, they\u2019re good pros. They stay ready, (no matter) how long they (haven\u2019t) played. They jumped in and it was a must-win (game) for us and I think they contributed.\u201d<\/p>\n
“We have a deep lineup and anyone that steps in is a great player and someone that knows our systems well and can contribute,\u201d Keller said of his teammates stepping in. \u201cO’Brien and DeSimone stepped in tonight and were great for us. Two great teammates, great guys. If they\u2019re in the lineup, (or) they\u2019re not, they\u2019re just the same person. They come to work every single day and it\u2019s good to see them in the lineup and contribute.\u201d<\/p>\n
Similar to Thursday\u2019s win in Seattle, the Mammoth didn\u2019t have the strongest start. However, the team continued to get better as the game went on and found their game in the second and third periods. Utah pulled ahead in the final nine minutes of regulation with a pair of goals. This helped secure the multi-goal win for the visitors.<\/p>\n
\u201cSlow start in the first period,\u201d Tourigny reflected. \u201cIn our battle level, our intensity. I liked the way we responded in the second. We played better, and even better in the third. I think effort wise and everything, pace, was much better \u2026 I liked the fact (that we) pulled away and we found a way to get the two points.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the playoff race as tight as it is, Saturday\u2019s win helps Utah stay in the hunt for the franchise\u2019s first postseason appearance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s huge,\u201d Marino said of the two road wins this week. \u201cIt\u2019s still a tight playoff race too. Obviously nothing guaranteed yet, and every game\u2019s going to be huge, especially tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody is winning, so we need to win,\u201d Tourigny explained. \u201cAt the end of the day, we want to play game 83. In order to do that, we need to win games. You’re not going in because anyone let you in. We need to keep winning games. It’s not over, there’s a lot of hockey left, and we have to keep winning.”<\/p>\n