The Hat Trick: Late Mistakes Cost Young Utah Mammoth In Loss To Colorado Avalanche

Sep 12, 2025 , 9:37 PM

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Utah Mammoth, Tij Iginla....

Tij Iginla during practice as the Utah Mammoth hold rookie camp at their new practice facility in Sandy on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025 (Scott G Winterton, Deseret News).

(Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)

COLE BAGLEY


Utah Mammoth Insider

SALT LAKE CITY – Despite a valiant comeback effort and a decent overall performance, the young Utah Mammoth prospects made a few critical mistakes late in a 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s first rookie showcase matchup of 2025.

Related: Three Takeaways From Day Two Of Utah Mammoth Rookie Camp

The Avalanche dominated Utah physically right out of the gate

From the moment the puck dropped in Colorado, all bets were off as the Avalanche came out flying and forced Utah into submission.

Whenever the Mammoth had the puck, the Avalanche quickly closed in, finished every check and ever so kindly opened up some space on their own bench for Utah to take a seat.

This effectively threw Utah off their game as they struggled to even get out of their own zone and offense was scarce throughout the majority of the first period.

While they did fight back and eventually captured a 3-2 lead late in the third, that initial 20 minutes was a major setback and eventually contributed to the disappointing and somewhat sudden 5-3 loss.

Top Utah Mammoth prospects showed glimpses of brilliance against the Colorado Avalanche

While it may not have been a reoccurring highlight reel from the top Utah Mammoth prosects in their opening showcase game against Colorado, there were still a few glimpses of brilliance that shed light on each of their unique skillsets.

First of all, rookie captain Maveric Lamoureux showed why he’s arguably the most NHL ready prospect of the bunch, and why wouldn’t he be?

After 15 games with the big club last season, the young defenseman got his first taste of the NHL as he drank straight from the fire hose.

A year later and 15 pounds heavier, Lamoureux demonstrated his determination to push for a roster spot as he was visibly assertive in the offensive zone.

In addition to a first period helper to bring the Mammoth within one after trailing by two goals early on, Lamoureux continued to stay involved.

He moved the puck, mostly made good decisions, pinched a few times and even pulled a crisp head fake to get a dangerous shot on goal.

Was he caught twice trying to do a little too much and made a mistake that led to a critical Avalanche goal late in the third?

Yup.

But that’s ok.

He needs to be aggressive, and this is perfect setting for him to figure out how to become more effective.

As for Tij Iginla, his offensive talent and confidence were on display as he settled into his game more in the later periods.

During the first Mammoth power play in the second, Iginla was busy working the zone as he dangled his way through defensemen, demonstrated great patience and directed some traffic.

Unfortunately, No. 12 was unable to find the back of the net, but it was visibly apparent that he’s able to process the game incredibly fast and utilize his smooth hands to make things happen.

Meanwhile, Beaudoin was his usual aggressive self as he outhustled the opposition, battled for every inch of ice and generated some dangerous opportunities in close.

A good start, but a lot more work to be done for these young prospects over the coming weeks, especially if they want to push for a spot.

A wild finish and several mistakes resulted in a somewhat shocking loss for the young Mammoth

After the initial surge from the Colorado Avalanche through the first period, it was all Utah for most of the remaining two frames as they calmed down, settled into their game and controlled the tempo.

Following three unanswered goals of their own, the Mammoth established a 3-2 lead with just a few minutes to go in the third period, and they appeared to be in full control.

However, Colorado wasn’t willing to just roll over as they responded with another similar surge of physicality and intensity that resulted in two goals in 30 seconds to retake the lead 4-3 with 2:14 remaining.

How’d it happen?

As the Avalanche went on offensive and reignited their physical dominance, Utah made some critical mistakes.

Lamoureux went for a touchdown pass that got intercepted in the neutral zone on the first and then Sam Lipkin got caught sleeping on the second.

Small mistakes with sizable consequences.

Luckily, it’s all part of the learning process and they’ll have a chance to redeem themselves against Vegas tomorrow.

But, for the few top prospects hoping to push for a roster spot, they’ll need to better as they navigate the coming weeks.

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What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?

The Utah Mammoth prospects will remain in Colorado to face the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday at 3 pm MT.

The game will be available via streaming.

Cole Bagley is the Utah Mammoth insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.

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