The Utah Grizzlies partnered with the Ink Against Cancer Foundation for the final Ink Against Cancer Game & Live Tattoo Night to commemorate the team’s final season in Utah and to raise money for …
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Utah Grizzlies partnered with the Ink Against Cancer Foundation for the final Ink Against Cancer Game & Live Tattoo Night to commemorate the team’s final season in Utah and to raise money for cancer warriors.
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On Feb. 27 and Feb. 28, the Utah Grizzlies welcomed the Ink Against Cancer Foundation to the rink for one final time, bringing together hockey enthusiasts, tattoo artists, cancer warriors, and community members.
Ink Against Cancer Foundation currently supports more than 94 Cancer Warriors. As a fully volunteer-led nonprofit, the funds raised go directly toward rent, utilities, groceries, medical travel, and critical support when families need it most.
Hildegard Koenig, President and Co-Founder of the Ink Against Cancer Foundation, told ABC4 that 15 tattoo artists donated 100% of their time and profits from the event to people battling cancer.
“They just want to give back to the community,” Koenig said. “We have supported almost 100 cancer warriors.”
The event featured live tattooing during the game where guests had the opportunity to get permanently “inked’ in commemoration of the Grizzlies last season in Utah. The proceeds from the event go towards supporting cancer warriors and their families.
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This is the 10th anniversary of the collaboration between the Ink Against Cancer Foundation and the Utah Grizzlies. Koenig said that the artists hoped to tattoo more than 60 people in one night.
Cydne Butler, President of the Grizzlies Booster Club, walked away with not only her very first tattoo, but a matching one with her son. Butler told ABC4 that the design they picked was in honor of her mother, who recently passed away.
“It kind of looks like my mom, honestly, and we both just really liked it,” she said.
Butler went on to gush about the Ink Against Cancer Organization and her fondness for the community engagement that it inspires.
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“It is just amazing, it really is,” she said.
Donations to the Ink Against Cancer Foundation can be found here.
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Though the tackle class isn’t as deep as you’d like, there are some good left tackle prospects in this class, and the Browns have met with one of them at the 2026 NFL Combine. Utah has a pair of …
It would be wise of the Cleveland Browns to take multiple offensive linemen in the 2026 NFL draft after how poorly their line played during the 2025 season. The team has been searching for a franchise left tackle since Joe Thomas retired in 2018. They tried free agents and even spent a top 10 pick on Jedrick Wills Jr. out of Alabama, but none of those players worked out.
Though the tackle class isn’t as deep as you’d like, there are some good left tackle prospects in this class, and the Browns have met with one of them at the 2026 NFL Combine. Utah has a pair of tackles in this year’s class, and Cleveland has met with Caleb Lomu as a potential answer to their left tackle question mark.
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One of the best parts of Lomu’s game is his recovery skills; he has the body control and balance to re-engage and take control of a rep after being initially beaten. He is a plus-level athlete with quick feet and good range. Overall, his movement skills in the run game are good, and he has the tools to get significantly better with proper development in the NFL.
Saturday was an appropriate sendoff for Utah’s seniors, as starters Lani White and Maty Wilke led the Utes in the win, while the program also honored Samantha Crispe and Alyssa Blank. White ended up …
It didn’t take long for the Utah women’s basketball team, on Senior Day, to get itself a commanding lead.
Just four and a half minutes into their contest against the Arizona Wildcats, the Utes were up 15-2 at the Huntsman Center on Saturday.
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Utah made its first five shots and 7 of 10, and that set the tone as the Utes cruised to an eventual 81-67 victory over the Wildcats.
“We had a great first quarter, great third quarter and then you know, at the fourth quarter, it’s kind of things got out of hand and I think we just kind of let our guard down a little bit, and that’s part of it,” Utah coach Gavin Petersen said.
(I’m) just glad we could send these guys out on Senior Night with a win, so now we await tomorrow. We’ll be scoreboard watching and learning our fate in Kansas City (for the Big 12 tournament), so just extremely proud of our program and where it sits right now.”
Saturday was an appropriate sendoff for Utah’s seniors, as starters Lani White and Maty Wilke led the Utes in the win, while the program also honored Samantha Crispe and Alyssa Blank.
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White ended up scoring a team-high 19 points, including four 3-pointers, while adding five rebounds and two assists.
Wilke, meanwhile, tossed in 12 points and added five steals, three rebounds and three assists in front of an appreciative crowd.
Both White and Wilke have had their ups and downs throughout their college careers — including a transfer for both of them at one point — before shining as the program’s leaders as seniors.
The pair shared what the emotions of Saturday’s contest meant to them.
“(I’ll) try not to get emotional, but it just, it means so much. I had a rough first two years and I’m ever so grateful to have the opportunity to come back and, you know, have a coaching staff and a head coach that just believes in me so much,” said White, who played two seasons at Utah, then transferred to Virginia Tech last year and came back to the Utes for her senior season.
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“And I think playing for this team and playing for this staff, it means the world because not every team has a family. I played for this sisterhood and it’s just unbelievable. I couldn’t have asked for a better year. Really happy to end it with this group.”
Utah guard Lani White looks on while surrounded by family during Senior Day ceremonies following the Utes’ 81-67 win over Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Wilke, meanwhile, played two seasons at Wisconsin before transferring to Utah and enjoying her best season, like White, as a senior.
“Before coming here, I was in a really dark place and I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to keep playing basketball, but the coaching staff and the girls that were here took me in and gave me another opportunity to play the game and to find that joy again, and I’m forever grateful for Gavin, the staff and my teammates for allowing me to have another chance at college basketball,” Wilke said.
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“And like Gavin said, it’s not only like the points and wins or losses, but for me, it’s all the relationships I’ve been able to build since being here.”
She continued: “Oh gosh, it’s really weird to think about not wearing this jersey with them after. I mean, we still have games left, so I’m still (not) done, but it’s just crazy to think about coming in here and now they’ve really helped me grow everyone here, and like I said, just helped me find my light again, not only on the court, but in life, and I’m just extremely grateful for this program.”
Utah guard Maty Wilke gives her head coach, Gavin Petersen, a hug during Senior Day ceremonies following the Utes’ 81-67 win over Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
When Utah got off to that strong start in Saturday’s game, it was a trio of non-seniors — LA Sneed, Chrya Evans and Reese Ross — who scored the Utes’ first 17 points.
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Then Wilke and White scored their first points on back-to-back possessions — Wilke on a 3-pointer, White on a fast break layup — to give Utah a 22-7 lead.
“Once you see the ball go in the hole like at any time in the game, it kind of just (the) pressure goes down and everyone’s feeling it. Like I can do my role, I don’t have to overdo (things),” Wilke said.
“… It felt very balanced in the beginning of the game and everyone was scoring, everyone was doing their part, and so it was just extremely fun, too.”
Eventually, Arizona (12-17, 3-15 Big 12) trimmed its deficit to 32-27 near the midway point of the second quarter, but Utah had an answer.
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Over the final 5:27 of the second period, Utah (19-11, 10-8 Big 12) outscored the visitors 15-7 to take a 47-34 lead into halftime.
Then, the Utes landed the knockout punch by outscoring the Wildcats 24-13 in the third quarter.
That helped push the Utah lead as high as 26 points.
White scored 11 of her points in the third, while Wilke had five points in each of the first and third quarters.
That left Utah with the chance to coast into the win, and allowed fellow seniors Crispe and Blanck to get on the court late as well.
White and Wilke led a balanced effort, while Ross (16 points, six rebounds, two assists) and Sneed (11 points, five rebounds, two rebounds, one steal) also scored in double figures.
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All totaled, six Utes scored six or more points in the regular-season finale.
“The focus and the intensity from our offensive execution, it was really on for the majority of the night. A lot of good cutting to the baskets, utilizing our spacing and cuts, moving the basketball. That’s why the stat sheet gets filled up by everybody,” Petersen said.
“… Our off-ball movement was really good. A few times we got trapped and threw the ball away. That’s to be expected, but for the most part, just really proud of our poise and our fundamentally sound pivoting and getting the ball out of those traps, and I think that’s what led us to those open 3s as well.”
It was a kind of night that defined Utah basketball — the Utes had 15 assists on 18 made buckets in the first half, and they finished with 23 assists on 28 made field goals by game’s end.
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Utah also made 11 of 25 3-pointers, with White’s four 3s leading the way. Wilke and Brooke Walker also hit two each.
“I think we have a great confidence in ourselves and in one another, and all week we were saying that we knew that the 3 was going to be there for us,” White said.
“But Arizona did a great job pressuring us, so for us, we attacked it and that inside-out 3 works in our favor usually. I did not know that we made that many, but dang, I’m happy for us. We haven’t had a night like that in a long time, so that’s super awesome.”
Utah guard Maty Wilke (23) drives towards the hoop against Arizona’s Molly Ladwig (5) and Blessing Adebanjo during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah guard Lani White celebrates following the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah forward Samantha Crispe, left, drives to the hoop against Arizona during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah forward Alyssa Blanck looks upcourt against Arizona during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah guard Lani White (0) shoots a 3-pointer against Arizona during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah forward Chyra Evans (12) tries to maneuver around Arizona’s Nora Francois during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah coach Gavin Petersen talks with LA Sneed (2) and Brooke Walker during a break in action against Arizona during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah guard Maty Wilke gives her head coach, Gavin Petersen, a hug during Senior Day ceremonies following the Utes’ 81-67 win over Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah forward Chyra Evans drives to the hoop against Arizona during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah forward Samantha Crispe, right, gives Alyssa Blanck a hug during Senior Day ceremonies following the Utes’ 81-67 win over Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah guard Maty Wilke (23) shoots a 3-pointer with Arizona’s Noelani Cornfield (4) on defense during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah guard Lani White (0) celebrates with teammates, including Maty Wilke (23) and Chyra Evans (12), during the Utes’ 81-67 win over Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah forward Chyra Evans drives to the hoop with Arizona’s Nora Francois on defense during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah guard Lani White (0) shoots a 3-pointer with Arizona’s Blessing Adebanjo (14) on defense during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah guard Lani White looks on during a break in action in the Utes’ 81-67 win over Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah guard LA Sneed (2) puts up a shot against Arizona during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah guard LA Sneed (2) brings the ball upcourt against Arizona during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah forward Alyssa Blanck looks on while surrounded by family during Senior Day ceremonies following the Utes’ 81-67 win over Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah guard Lani White shoots a 3-pointer against Arizona during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
From left to right, Utah players Evelina Otto, Maty Wilke, Lani White and Samantha Crispe huddle during the Utes’ 81-67 win over Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah guard Lani White looks on while surrounded by family during Senior Day ceremonies following the Utes’ 81-67 win over Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah guard Lani White looks to pass the ball against Arizona during the Utes’ 81-67 win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Utah dominated the paint, outscoring Arizona 34-18 in the post, while also owning a 33-27 rebounding edge.
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The Wildcats, who were without leading scorer Mickayla Perdue, were paced by 31 points from Sumayah Sugapong, and Noelani Cornfield added 20.
The story of the night for Utah, though, was honoring its seniors. With White and Wilke on either side of him in the postgame press conference, Petersen shared his gratitude for leading the program alongside this group of four seniors.
Utah forward Samantha Crispe, right, gives Alyssa Blanck a hug during Senior Day ceremonies following the Utes’ 81-67 win over Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
“I am just extremely proud of like our program, our team, surrounded by these guys (White and Wilke), and then obviously AB and Sam. Like, just tremendous people,” Petersen said.
“And that’s what I am so proud of. These guys are going to be in my life for the rest of my life, and that’s something that doesn’t show up in stat sheets or win columns. … I’m passionate about what I do, but the relationships that we build are genuine, authentic, and I’m just so proud of everybody showing up tonight, giving it their best.”
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Now, the Utes will play the waiting game.
The Big 12 regular season wraps up Sunday with five more games, and after that, Utah will learn what seed it receives in next week’s Big 12 tournament.
With the win, the Utes assured themselves they will have at least the No. 9 seed, and could earn as high as the No. 7.
If Utah is either the No. 7 or No. 8 seed, it will have a first-round bye at the Big 12 tournament, which starts next Wednesday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
The key game to watch Sunday is Arizona State vs. No. 20 Texas Tech (1 p.m. MST, ESPN+). If Arizona State loses, Utah will earn a first-round bye.
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“(We’ll have) tomorrow off, we’ll get just rested, collect ourselves and then scoreboard watch, and then our staff will meet,” Petersen said. “We’ll get our game plan and everything pretty dialed in quickly, and then we’ll have practice Monday.”
Utah forward Alyssa Blanck looks on while surrounded by family during Senior Day ceremonies following the Utes’ 81-67 win over Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Brandon Judd, Deseret News
Due to a serious lack of snow, Northwest sled dog races are facing cancellation, sending a rippling disappointment through the sled dog teams that look forward to these events each year.
UINTA MOUNTAIN RANGE, Utah (ABC4) — Sled dog races across the Northwest are facing cancellations due to a serious lack of snow, sending rippling disappointment through the sled dog teams that look forward to these events each year. However, Utah came to the rescue by hosting a race of its own.
The Rocky Mountain Triple Crown sled dog races take place annually in ranges in Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, but since 2026 has offered a nearly snowless winter, none of those races have been able to run. In order to lift the spirits of teams that have been training, two Utah sled dog mushers are coming together to put on what they say is their first sled dog race in Utah, offering teams a place to compete.
Wade and Dallin Donaldson, mushers of Bear Ridge Adventures Dog Sledding in Utah, put on what they say is their first sled dog race in Utah. this weekend. The race, aptly titled the Utah Uinta Ultimate, took place in the Uintah Mountain Range.
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A video provided to ABC4 by the race organizers shows one sled dog team racing to the finish line.
Though Utah has also suffered a lack of snow this winter, its conditions are better suited than other parts of the Northwest.
“Usually, we have better snow conditions, and the trails are normally a little bit better than what they are now,” Wade said. ” But we do have enough to do it, so we have been really happy to host the race.”
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There are 24 teams participating in the race overall. 16 teams are participating in a 15 mile per day race, and eight teams are participating in a 100-mile race split into 50-mile legs.
Dallin told ABC4 that several mushers have reported feeling undertrained this year due to the lack of snow. He added that this is the reason that the Utah Uinta Ultimate is offering a 15-mile race option.
Wade added that the Uinta Mountains are the perfect place to hold a race like this.
“The great thing about the Uinta Mountains is that we are starting at higher elevations, so there is better snow here, there are cooler temperatures, and the Uintas in Utah just have some really beautiful trails,” he said.
This race comes on the heels of several avalanches that have taken the lives of Utah skiers over the past few weeks. According to Wade, the Uintas were chosen as the host for this race because the avalanche risk in the range is low, but that they are still aware that the risk is there. The racers will be sharing the trails with snowmobiles as well, so “to make sure that the dog teams stay safe with the machines on the trail, we have stationed a couple of signs on the trail,” Wade said.
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The event also employs Utah State University Veterinarian students that help ensure that the sled dogs are well cared for.
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The Donaldsons said that they hope to make the Utah Uinta Ultimate an annual event.
“It’s a really small community of really great people. We are fortunate to be involved in that community. This is a group of people that we love. It’s a sport that we love. All of us just want to be out here and spend some time with our dogs in the mountains, Wade said. “It is really cool for us to get together with our friends and the other mushers who I think are like-minded individuals and just enjoy the trails, enjoy the great outdoors, and spend our time loving on the dogs.”
Find out more about the Utah Uinta Ultimate on their website.
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Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has another potential injury to deal with after leaving New Orleans’ game at Utah in the second quarter Saturday night. The Pelicans announced Williamson would not …
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) — Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has another potential injury to deal with after leaving New Orleans’ game at Utah in the second quarter Saturday night.
The Pelicans announced Williamson would not return due to an injury to his right ankle in a game New Orleans went on to win 115-105.
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Interim coach James Borrego said Williams “tweaked the ankle,” but didn’t have an immediate update on severity of the injury. “Hopefully, it’s nothing serious, and we’ll have him back out there very soon,” Borrego said.
It’s the latest setback for the oft-injured player who had already missed 16 games this season due to various ailments. The game against Utah was the two-time All-Star’s 35th straight — an NBA career-best for Williamson — dating to Dec. 11, after he sat out five games with a right hip adductor strain.
Williamson had four points, two assists and a rebound in 11 minutes of playing time against Utah.
Selected by the Pelicans with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft out of Duke, Williams has been limited to playing just 258 of 543 potential regular-season games, and never more than 25 in a row before this most recent stretch. He also missed the entire 2021-22 season with a broken right foot.
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The Pelicans’ lineup was already depleted in playing without small forward Trey Murphy (right shoulder), center Yves Missi (left calf) and guard Dejounte Murray (reconditioning).
The Utes shot 34.5% from the field in the first half, while Arizona State shot 44.8% and made 6 of 11 3-pointers in the same time frame. Keanu Dawes led Utah with 16 points, four rebounds and two …
Several usual issues hurt Utah as they fell 73-60 to Arizona State at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona, on Saturday afternoon.
While Utah got off to a strong start, defensive breakdowns and struggling to attack the Sun Devils zone defense were too much to overcome.
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Here’s a look at three takeaways from a loss that drops Utah to 10-19 overall and 2-14 in Big 12 play.
Struggles attacking the zone
Things looked good for Utah early when the Runnin’ Utes got out to a 14-5 lead.
After Terrence Brown picked up two early fouls, though, Utah struggled to attack Arizona State’s zone defense and its offense stagnated for much of the day.
The Sun Devils turned around the complexion of the contest by outscoring Utah 20-5 over the final 10:51 of the first half to take a 34-24 lead into the break.
The Utes shot 34.5% from the field in the first half, while Arizona State shot 44.8% and made 6 of 11 3-pointers in the same time frame.
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Keanu Dawes led Utah with 16 points, four rebounds and two assists, while Don McHenry, who hit four 3-points, added 14 points.
Defensive breakdowns and ASU’s 3-point shooting
Some of Utah’s defensive issues that started to show later in the first half became a bigger issue in the second half.
Overall, the Utes allowed the Sun Devils to shoot 49.1% for the game, including 53.8% after halftime. Arizona State also made 9 of 17 3-pointers and scored 39 points in the second half to keep Utah from rallying.
Maurice Odum led four Sun Devils in double-figures, as he put up 15 points, four assists, one block and a steal.
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Santiago Truet had a double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds) to go with three blocks, while Massamba Diop (14) and Anthony Johnson (13) also scored in double-figures.
How did Lucas Langarita look?
Utah got back mid-year addition Lucas Langarita, the guard from Spain who has missed the past 12 games due to injury.
There was understandably some rust, as he had two turnovers and shot 0 of 2 in the first half.
Langarita, though, had an impressive three-possession stretch in the second half that showcased what he could bring to Utah down the stretch and if he chooses to stick around beyond this season.
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First, he made a long jumper with the shot clock running down to cut the ASU lead to 43-34.
On Utah’s next offensive possession, he passed to Dawes, who drove into the lane and scored two points at the hoop.
Then Langarita rebounded an Arizona State miss, pushed the ball upcourt in the fast break and McHenry for 3, getting credit for his lone assist.
That cut the Arizona State lead to 43-39.
Langarita played 16 minutes and had 2 points on 1 of 3 shooting (0 of 1 from 3), two rebounds, an assist and a steal to go with two turnovers.
It was a bounce back win for Utah after the Mammoth suffered a 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.
As the Mammoth found the response and play they were looking for, their next goal is to be consistent with that effort. Sticking to their identity night in and night out will be key for the team down the final stretch of the season.
“We’re a really fast team and can make a lot of plays, but I think that’s the biggest thing for us is sticking to our identity as much as we can,” Keller said. “It’s hard to do and I think we’ve got better as year’s gone on, but the good teams are the most consistent. Even when you don’t feel your best, you find a way. I think we’re showing steps in the right direction, just got to be more consistent.”
The line of Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and Lawson Crouse had an impactful night. The trio contributed five points in the middle frame with Keller and Crouse each scoring once while Schmaltz had a pair of assists. Each player had a multi-point night as Keller had three points (1G, 2A), while Crouse (2G) and Schmaltz (2A) each had two-point performances. Tourigny complimented the Schmaltz line for their drive and determination.
“They have that sense, and they can hunt pucks and create turnovers and are good on the forecheck and stuff like that,” Tourigny explained. “They’re hungry, they want to go at it, and they stay on top of their opponent. What I like about them, and through the years, when they started to play together a few years ago, they were a rush line. I believe if you want to be a really good line, you need to be more in there, even if you’re productive on the rush. When the game gets tight and push comes to shove, you need to be able to be good at creating traffic by the net, be good on the forecheck, be good at playing in the dirty area and playing that grind game. That line became really good with the years of doing it. You saw today, the goal of (Keller) is a turnover caused by a lot of pressure on one of the best defensemen in the world. That shows how good, how good they can be when they have that aggression.”
Crouse and alternate captain Mikhail Sergachev each recorded a team-leading five shots in tonight’s game. Like Crouse, Sergachev also had a multi-point effort with two assists. Both players were complimented for their individual performances following the win.
“(Crouse has) been so big for us,” Keller shared. “He creates so much space for me and (Schmaltz). He does the little things that separate us. It’s great to see that he can finish too. He’s a really smart player, and I really enjoy playing with him.”
“I’m really proud of the boys,” Tourigny said. “I think there’s a ton of players I can talk about today who I’m proud of, proud of their effort … I have to talk about (Sergachev). I think he was a beast out there.”
In the final stretch of the regular season, every point matters. With the win tonight, Utah remains in the first wild card spot with 66 points. Those two points put some distance between the Mammoth and other teams fighting for a postseason berth.
“Huge, especially coming down the stretch to finish the season,” Crouse explained. “Tough when you lose two in a row and we came ready to play. Obviously, they had a tough schedule with the back-to-back to start (after the Olympic break). We jumped on them and took advantage.”
The Mammoth will wrap their six game homestand with a 2:00 p.m. game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. Tickets are available here!
Additional Notes from Tonight
Keller had two assists in tonight’s game and became the first player to record 100 assists with the franchise.
With 28 wins this season, Vejmelka is tied for the league-lead with Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vejmelka has a 3-1-0 record in four games this month and has improved to 10-2-0 at the Delta Center since Dec. 21.
Hayton scored his fourth power play goal of the season, and the forward has earned points in six of his last seven contests (2G, 4A).
Cooley’s shorthanded goal is his second this season and third of his NHL career. The center is the only Mammoth skater with multiple shorthanded tallies this season. Utah’s six shorthanded goals are tied for the seventh-most of any NHL team in the 2025-26 campaign.
Defenseman Nate Schmidt played his 800th career game tonight and he is one of six active undrafted players to log at least 800 NHL contests. He trails only Brenden Dillon and Chirs Tanev in that category among active undrafted defensemen.
Jack McBain had two assists in his 300th career NHL game. This is his fourth multi-point game of the season, and he has six assists in his last seven games.
Recent storms pulled Utah out of a record-low snowpack, but experts doubt the state can recover after an unusually warm winter.
Despite a recent spate of storms yanking Utah’s snowpack out of record-low levels, forecasters say they have given up on any chance of a winter rebound.
“We were holding out hopes at the turn of the calendar year, back in January,” said Glen Merrill, a hydrologist at the National Weather Service’s Salt Lake City office. “Now, we only have March and the first week or two of April to bounce back, and it’s just too late in the season to have confidence in recovery at this point.”
By the time February rolled around, an unusually warm winter had left Utah with a historically low snowpack. The series of storms that blew through last week, Merrill said, boosted mountain snow levels to 65% of normal.
“We’ve added a little over 2.5 to 3 inches of water in our snowpack, and that’s gotten us above that record low,” Merrill said. “We’re still very low.”
Some stretches of the Beehive State are faring better than others. The Bear River Basin — which encompasses Cache Valley and other northeast portions of Utah — has a snowpack at 81% of its median for this time of year, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources. In central Utah, though, the Lower Sevier Watershed sits at 35% of median.
The watershed that includes Salt Lake and Utah counties, meanwhile, is currently at 60% of median for this time of year.
In many of this season’s biggest storms, snow has normally fallen only above 8,000 feet, Merrill said. Because of the unusual warmth, everything lower has gotten rain.
“If you look at our precipitation for the water year, across the state of Utah, it’s near normal,” he said. “We’ve gotten the precipitation, it just hasn’t fallen as snow like it typically does at those low- and mid-elevation areas.”
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I’m Brock Marchant, The Salt Lake Tribune’s Cache Valley reporter in partnership with Utah Public Radio. As a valley native, I’ve seen firsthand the issues that people face everywhere from Richmond to Avon — unaffordable housing, dwindling open space and a rapidly increasing population that has cities struggling to keep up. I want to explore local problems by reporting on the ground, not just quote elected officials and news releases. As residents work diligently to overcome challenges, I want to tell their stories and share their solutions. Smart, hard-working people have built the valley’s history, and I’m certain they will frame its future.
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The Wild were taken down by the Utah Mammoth 5-2 on Friday night to end Minnesota’s winning streak at six games.
The Wild were taken down by the Utah Mammoth 5-2 on Friday night to end Minnesota’s winning streak at six games.
Lawson Crouse scored twice and U.S. Olympian Clayton Keller had a goal and two assists for Utah.
Logan Cooley and Barrett Hayton also scored and Karel Vejmelka made 21 saves to help the Mammoth rebound from a 4-2 home loss to NHL-leading Colorado on Wednesday night in their return from the Olympic break. Utah began the night in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
U.S. Olympian Matt Boldy scored and assisted on Kirill Kaprizov’s goal for Minnesota. Second behind Central Division-rival Colorado in the West, the Wild are 9-2-1 in their last 12. They beat the Avalanche 5-2 on Thursday night in Denver.
Cooley opened the scoring with a short-handed goal with 6:37 left in the first period. The former University of Minnesota star got the puck on the right side off a deflection and put a shot between Wallstedt’s legs for his 15th goal.
Keller scored his 18th at 4:26 of the second. Nick Schmaltz forced a turnover on a forecheck and fed Keller on the right side.
Crouse made it 3-0 at 7:49 of the second. He came down the middle, took a pass from Keller and beat Wallstedt with a backhander.
Kaprizov countered for Minnesota on a power play with 5:57 left in the second. He has 33 goals this season.
Hayton made it 4-1 on a power play at 1:19 of the third, and Crouse added his 16th of the season on a tip with 7:12 to go.
Boldy got his 35th of the season with 5:57 remaining.
The mountains that dominate the skyline of Salt Lake City were formed from constant and relentless pressure. So was the Utah Mammoth’s 5-2 home win over the Minnesota Wild on Friday night at Delta …
The mountains that dominate the skyline of Salt Lake City were formed from constant and relentless pressure. So was the Utah Mammoth’s 5-2 home win over the Minnesota Wild on Friday night at Delta Center.
Playing the second night of back-to-back road games at high altitude, and coming off a hard-fought emotional win at Colorado, the Wild faced a young and relentless Mammoth team determined to wear them down.
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy scored, and Jesper Wallstedt finished with 32 saves on a night where highlights were hard to come by for the visitors.
“I thought in the first period we had a good start and played the way we wanted to for, I’d say, the first half. Then I thought we got away from it a little bit and we never got it back,” Wild coach John Hynes said to reporters in Utah. “… After about the first 12 minutes of the first (period), I just thought our puck play, we just fed their transition and their offense like that. I thought that was the biggest difference in the game.”
While Utah made rush after rush, and tested Wallstedt again and again, they also pounced on every one of Minnesota’s mistakes, getting an early shorthanded goal and building a three-score lead before the game was half over.
“They’re a great hockey team,” Wild defensemen Brock Faber said of the Mammoth, in the hunt to make their first playoff trip since relocating from Arizona two years ago. “They’re really skilled. Obviously, we’ve got to find a way to play them better. Tonight we didn’t have our best, and you can talk about the back-to-back all you want, but we just weren’t good enough.”
It could have been worse.
After a fruitless second-period rush into the offensive zone by the Wild, the Mammoth transitioned quickly, and on an odd-man rush slipped a puck past Wallstedt that looked to make it a 4-0 lead. But for the fifth time this season, the Wild successfully challenged the play for offside and the point came off the scoreboard.
Minutes later, with the Wild on a power play, Kaprizov scored on a tap-in at the side of the crease after a cross-ice feed from Matt Boldy. It was the 218th career goal for Kaprizov, leaving him one short of tying Marian Gaborik’s franchise record.
When Joel Eriksson Ek took a high stick to the face and left the game, the ensuing Wild power play provided a window to make it a one-goal game. But the Mammoth penalty kill held firm, and then the Wild took a penalty of their own late in the middle frame, switching the momentum back to the home team.
Eriksson Ek did not return, and Hynes did not have a postgame update on the second line center’s health.
Utah scored early in the third on the man advantage, capitalizing on a scramble in front of the net where Wallstedt had lost his stick, making it 4-1 for the Mammoth.
Minnesota didn’t lack opportunities to get back into the game, with Boldy springing for a pair of shorthanded breakaway. Both were thwarted by Karel Vejmelka. The Mammoth goalie finished with 21 saves as Utah improved to 2-0 versus the Wild this season.
“Not our best, obviously. I think these guys have kind of been our Kryptonite the last couple years,” Wild forward Mats Zuccarello said. “They play real good against us, and it’s a tough team to play against. … We don’t play our best, but they prevent us from playing our best, too. So, you’ve got to give them credit.”
After the Mammoth opened up a 5-1 lead, Boldy scored for the third time in the past two games to pull Minnesota back within three. It was Boldy’s team-leading 35th goal of the season.
By missing the score sheet on Friday, defenseman Quinn Hughes’ franchise-record assist streak was halted at 11 games. Minnesota returns home to open March with a 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon game versus St. Louis at Grand Casino Arena.