Utah Hockey Club takes ice for 1st time with preseason win in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa -- For Ryan and Michelle Hatch, it was a great reason to take a trip.

The Hatches and good friends John and Korin Richins all live in the Salt Lake City area and weren’t going to miss the Utah Hockey Club play their first official game.

“We never expected it," said Ryan Hatch prior to Utah’s 5-3 preseason win against the St. Louis Blues at the Des Moines Community Classic at Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday. "We thought we’d get a baseball team before this. We were thrilled.

“We’re all hockey fans, our kids play hockey together. Among hockey families and people who love the sport, it’s really a big deal. We’ve had the (NBA’s Utah) Jazz forever and that’s one thing, but if you’re into hockey, we’ve had to travel. We’ve talked about going to Vegas when the Golden Knights went there. So, to have something in our own backyard and our own team, it’s a big deal.”

The firsts for the team continue Monday when Utah plays the Los Angeles Kings in its first home preseason game at Delta Center in Salt Lake City (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, SCRIPPS).

“We won’t lie, and we won’t hide either. It’s special. We’re excited to have a chance to play at the Delta Center,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “We’ll play only one preseason game (at home) so for us it’s important. It’s our first real contact in a game with our fans. So, I think we’re excited."

The Utah franchise was established by the NHL Board of Governors on April 18, with all assets from the Arizona Coyotes transferring to Utah. It had its first-ever training camp practice at the Utah Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City on Thursday.

There’s been a lot of excitement while trying to get ready for this season in Utah, but Tourigny said players have handled it all well.

“You want to stay composed and focused on the task, because everything you talk about is stuff you can’t control and it’s stuff that doesn’t change the job you have to do," he said. "So, I think we use that as an excitement, an energy.

“It’s fun. There are a lot of new things, there’s a lot of energy around the team. At the same time, we can’t lose focus. We have a job to do and we need to get better at it every day. The boys were fantastic and that’s been helped a lot by SEG (Smith Entertainment Group), the organization, the way they treat our players, all the help we have from them has been just amazing.”

An announced attendance of 8,851 was at the game Sunday at the arena, home of the Iowa Wild, the Minnesota Wild’s American Hockey League affiliate. When game host Andrew Downs asked who was cheering for which team, the Blues fans were dominant, but Utah definitely had a sizable vocal following.

Fans gave a robust cheer to start the game when the public address announcer welcomed, “the visiting St. Louis Blues, and the inaugural game in the history of the hosts, Utah Hockey Club.”

After Utah forward Dylan Guenther scored a go-ahead goal on a power play 8:05 into the third period, fans behind the St. Louis goal started an audible “Let’s Go Utah” chant.

“It’s always nice to get back into game action," Guenther said. “We’ve had a few good practices. It’s exciting to see the team come together for camp and nice to get a game under our belts and roll into the next one.”

Utah defenseman Robert Bortuzzo said the atmosphere was “very cool.”

“The rink was great, attendance was great. I thought both teams competed really hard and then gave fans a little shootout there,” Bortuzzo said of the multi-round shootout the teams had following the game. “We appreciate them coming out. Their support goes a long way in this League for all teams.”

Utah was generating interest with its gear, as well. Near Section 108, fans formed a long line to purchase Utah and NHL merchandise, from hats to sweatshirts to T-shirts.

“We actually know one of (Utah’s) trainers, so I follow because of that connection,” said Brooke Vass of Lincoln, Nebraska, who bought a Utah tee and a sweatshirt. “We’re [Pittsburgh] Penguins fans, but I don’t have a Western Conference team yet. So, we’ll see.”

It’s been a busy but thrilling time for the Utah Hockey Club. The firsts are piling up, and they’ve all been enjoyable. Now to play in front of the home fans.

“It’s going to be pretty cool. We can say it when we’re done playing, that we were the first team in Utah,” Guenther said. “It's cool for us, cool for the players, cool for the fans and it’s going to grow hockey in the state, too.”