1 week Ago By Dana Greene
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) - Although the team was officially eliminated from NHL playoff contention last night, that did not damper the mood before the Utah Hockey Club's final home game of this inaugural season Thursday night."It's tough because we all had the belief we knew we have something special in here," said defenseman Sean Durzi before tonight's game against Nashville. "Whether it's this year or years to come, we know we got something in this room that can do something.
I think we saw spurts of it this year.""No matter what happened, we're going to show it the same way every game and be a pro," said forward Dylan Guenther "This is our last game at home in front of the fans for a little bit. So we'll make sure that we leave it all out there.
"Utah scores season-high 7 goals in win over SeattleA lot of players say it didn't feel like a first season in a new city, since the fans were so passionate and so involved in every home game."I couldn't be more thankful," Durzi said. "Playing on this ice every single night is a thrill.
The fans definitely give us energy as a team.""They embraced us immediately," said center Liam O'Brien. "As players, we felt that.
They're loud and enthusiastic, and we love that and we appreciate that. So my hat's off to them this year. They were tremendous.
"The players said the fan reception all year long surpassed their expectations."I certainly did not know what to expect," said defenseman Ian Cole. "But the people here jumped in feet first, and they've come and watched the games.
We know we have a lot of obstructed seats, but the building is still completely sold out every night.""It's been a great season at home," said head coach Andre Tourigny "The support of our fans and the way we've been their welcomed here, I think it has been magical."The fan base will only continue to grow not if, but when this young up and coming team makes the playoffs, which they expect to happen next season.
Utah HC stays alive with 4-1 victory over Winnipeg"It's exciting," said Guenther. "Ever since I've been drafted, we've gotten a little bit better every year. And we've gotten better this year.
We've taken a step in the right direction towards making the playoffs.""I think we need to make it," said defenseman Michael Kesselring. "I know the guys have been in Arizona for a while and didn't make it, and this is a huge step.
I think next year is going to be big.".
