Month: April 2025

The Utah Hockey Club has accomplished a lot in its inaugural seasons. One thing that it has failed to do, though, is beat the Los Angeles Kings.

In a season a lot of people underestimated the Kings, they’ve taken pride in proving people wrong. They’re three points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for the Pacific Division lead, leading many to wonder if this is the year they’ll get past the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs.

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On Thursday night when Utah and Los Angeles met, it was a game of strange bounces at the Delta Center. An early Dylan Guenther goal was called off because the puck carrier was offside — something that can’t happen unless he passes it backwards (which is exactly what happened).

Later on, the Kings scored the first allowed goal, though nobody realized it until a few minutes later (we’ll get into the details below).

In the third period, the Kings scored twice at 4 on 4, followed by an empty-netter from distance. Then, with 20 seconds to go, UHC tallied a power play goal — something they struggled to do all of March.

It ended with a final score of 4-2, though Utah out-shot LA 30-19.

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“I think we played a really solid, solid game,” said UHC head coach André Tourigny. “There were a few broken plays that made a difference in the game, but I think the guys were ready and we were really structured.”

Utah Hockey for dummies

As promised, we’ll dive into the Kings’ first goal. I got questions on X about it so I’m sure there are plenty of people wondering why it counted.

It started when Logan Cooley dragged Adrian Kempe down on a back-check, causing him to crash into Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka.

The referee’s arm immediately went up to call Cooley for interference, meanwhile Cooley went after Kempe for running into the goalie.

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As Utah’s captain was arguing on Cooley’s behalf, the officials were looking at another aspect of the play: the fact that the puck was in the net.

Andrei Kuzmenko’s shot landed in Vejmelka’s glove initially, but he dropped it as Kempe came barreling toward him. Kempe’s skate pushed it under Vejmelka as he fell, and it ended up in the net.

It’s hard to see it on most of the replay angles, but the overhead camera caught it perfectly. It’s one of the stranger goals you’ll ever see, but it was the right call.

Utah Hockey for casual fans

Before the game, Kings head coach Jim Hiller was confident.

“I’d be surprised if we’re not really good tonight,” he said.

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He also indicated that he’d like to fire lots of shots at Vejmelka, who was bound to be fatigued in his 19th consecutive start.

“We want to get (to the front of the net) every night, but the fact that he’s played a lot (will) incentivize the players,” Hiller said. “If we can get there, maybe we can find a couple extra ones.”

When the shots were 25-9 in Utah HC’s favor after the second period, it was clear that he may have underestimated his opponent. Hiller recognized his fault after the game.

“Well, I was wrong, first of all,” he said. “I said our legs would be good and we would play well, and we did not for the first 40 minutes — with the exception of the goalie. But then give our guys credit. Third period, we played good.”

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He’s right. The Kings were the better team in the third period by most metrics — not just because they scored more goals. They dominated in terms of shots, scoring chances, expected goals and even face-offs.

UHC associate captain Lawson Crouse was frustrated that his team’s solid play through the first two frames didn’t supply the result he wanted.

“We were in control of the game,” he said. “We were playing hungry hockey, determined hockey and (it’s) just a crappy feeling when it doesn’t pay out.”

Utah Hockey for nerds

Two goals against at 4 on 4 put a close game out of reach for UHC.

They’ve now allowed five goals at 4 on 4 this season — tied for the second-most in the league. Additionally, they’re tied for the second-most goals against at 3 on 3 with eight.

It’s not the first time Utah has allowed multiple 4 on 4 goals in a game, either. It was a major contributor in their 4-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators back in October.

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Crouse offered a reason as to why that’s been a struggle.

“It’s man-on-man coverage,” he said. “(There are) picks — you have to fight through stuff like that.”

Guenther gave a good perspective on situations like these.

“You’re always playing for something,” he said. “These next (six) games can give us momentum into next season, so they’re all big.”

He’s right, and his message applies to lapses like the ones Utah had at 4 on 4. Utah HC should take these situations as learning opportunities: Realize that it’s a weakness and figure out how to correct it.

If they do it right, next year’s team won’t have to worry about playing at 4 on 4.

What’s next?

Utah’s home stand continues with an early-evening game on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets.

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The Jets are in contention for the Presidents’ Trophy, awarded to the best team in the regular season. They’re currently in first place with the Washington Capitals and the Dallas Stars knocking at the door.

UHC has a chance to even up its season series with the Jets, who have beaten them twice in Winnipeg. If they can pull it off, the home team will have won every game between them.

The game starts at 5 p.m. MDT and will be shown on Utah 16, Utah HC+ and NHL Network.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore scored in a 44-second span early in the third period and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Utah Hockey Club 4-2 on Thursday night for their third straight victory.

Fiala gave Los Angeles — second in the Pacific Division — a 2-1 lead at 4:06 with a snap shot for his 29th goal. Moore added his 18th at 4:50, beating Karel Vejmelka with a backhander.

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Adrian Kempe scored his 33rd of the season for Los Angeles and Drew Doughty added an empty-netter. Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves.

Lawson Crouse and Jack McBain scored for Utah.

Vejmelka made 15 saves in his 19th straight start. The streak is the longest by an NHL goalie since Kuemper started 22 in a row for Arizona in 2019.

Takeaways

Kings: Los Angeles plays five of its final seven games of the regular season at home as it tries to catch Vegas for the division lead.

Utah: Failed to build on consecutive victories in Chicago and at home against Calgary as its playoff hopes fade.

Key moment

Kuemper made 16 saves in the scoreless first period, while Vejmelka faced only three shots.

Key stat

The Kings won 55.7% of the faceoffs.

Up next

Both teams play Saturday. The Kings host Edmonton to open a four-game homestand. Utah hosts Winnipeg.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

SALT LAKE CITY — The Kings are doing their best to remain ahead of the Edmonton Oilers as they battle for potential home-ice advantage in the postseason – and a Pacific Division title isn’t out of the question either.

Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore scored in a 44-second span early in the third period and the Kings beat the Utah Hockey Club, 4-2, on Thursday night for their third straight victory.

Drew Doughty had an empty-net goal and an assist, Adrian Kempe scored his 33rd of the season and Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves for the Kings (43-23-9, 95 points), who remain two points ahead of the Edmonton (44-26-5) for second place and moved within three points of first-place Vegas (45-22-8) in the division.

Jack McBain had a goal and an assist, Lawson Crouse also scored and Karel Vejmelka stopped 15 shots in his 19th consecutive start for Utah (34-30-12, 80 points), which had won two in a row. Vejmelka’s streak of starts is the longest by an NHL goalie since Kuemper started 22 in a row for Arizona in 2019.

The Kings took a 2-1 lead at 4:06 of the third period. Utah won a faceoff in its zone, but a pass into the middle by defenseman Olli Maatta was intercepted by Fiala alone in the slot, and he fired a snap shot into the net for his 29th goal of the season.

Moore was then the first player down the ice for a puck that went deep in the Utah zone, and he beat Vejmelka with a backhander for his 18th goal of the season to make it 3-1 at 4:50.

Doughty collected his empty-net goal to make it 4-1 with 1:50 left, and McBain scored on a power play with 20 seconds remaining to cut it to 4-2.

The Kings were getting outshot 22-4 when Kempe scored on a controversial play to give them a 1-0 lead at 6:56 of the second period.

Andrei Kuzmenko tried to feed Kempe crashing through the slot on a rush, but Kempe was pulled down by Utah forward Logan Cooley just before both crashed into Vejmelka.

A scrum ensued and there was no immediate indication of a goal, but the NHL Situation Room in Toronto interceded and awarded the goal to Kempe after a replay showed the puck had crossed the goal line beneath Vejmelka.

Utah tied it at 1-1 at 12:21 of the second. Crouse brought the puck from below the goal line to the bottom of the left circle before fitting his wrist shot just inside the near post and under the crossbar.

Utah briefly thought it took a 1-0 lead at 1:22 of the first period when Dylan Guenther fired in a hard wrist shot from the top of the right circle, but the Kings challenged for offside and it was confirmed, negating the goal.

Kuemper made 16 saves in the scoreless first period, while Vejmelka faced only three shots.

The Kings play five of their final seven games of the regular season at home, where they have been absurdly good (28-4-4).

UP NEXT

The Kings host Edmonton on Saturday at 1 p.m. to open a four-game homestand that also includes games against Seattle, the Ducks and Colorado.

The last time Sam met with his therapist, Scott Owen, the session was nothing more than an hour of Owen sexually abusing him, he told a Provo, Utah, courtroom this week. Sam remembers sitting in his car afterward, screaming as loud as he could.

“I could feel him all over my skin,” he said. “I could not believe this was happening.”

It was October 2017, and Sam had been seeing Owen for therapy for more than a year. A faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was struggling with what he called “unwanted same-sex attraction.” Owen was a high-ranking leader in the LDS Church at that time, and Sam said Owen assured him that he had helped more than 200 men who felt similarly.

Instead, he said, Owen “meticulously leveraged” his two roles as a therapist and a church leader to assure him that the sexual touching during their sessions was key to helping him heal, learn how to accept intimacy and grow closer to God.

“He exploited my trust, he weaponized my faith and dismantled my confidence,” Sam told the courtroom. “What he did was not just unethical. It was calculated, predatory and destructive.”

Police began investigating Owen in 2023 only after The Salt Lake Tribune and ProPublica reported on a range of sex abuse allegations against Owen, who had built a reputation over his 20-year therapy career as a specialist who could help gay men who were members of the LDS Church. Some of the men who spoke to The Tribune said their bishop in the faith referred them to Owen and used church funds to pay for sessions where Owen allegedly also touched them inappropriately.

In February, Owen pleaded guilty to three charges, admitting he sexually abused Sam and a second patient who also said he sought Owen’s help because he was struggling with his sexuality and Latter-day Saints faith. Owen also pleaded no contest in another case, saying prosecutors likely had enough evidence to convict him at a trial on an allegation that he had groped a young girl during a therapy session.

But the number of people who say that Owen harmed them is much larger — and they filled a Provo courtroom on Monday as Owen was sentenced to spend at least 15 years in prison.

One by one, they stood at a podium in court and told Owen how he had hurt them. Most were his patients, like Sam, a pseudonym to protect his identity from his community.

One man told the court Owen had abused him when Owen was a leader of a young men’s group organized by the LDS Church.

“He had sleepovers at his house,” Mike Bahr said. “I was there once, and I have lived in a nightmare since.”

Also speaking were family members of a man who had died by suicide, including his brother who said his sibling disclosed to him that Owen had abused him just days before he took his life.

And there was one of Owen’s own family members, his cousin, who alleges that Owen molested him on a family trip when he was a kid. After becoming more public with his own abuse allegations several years ago, James Cooper has worked to gather others who say his cousin victimized them.

He spoke about the dynamics that allowed Owen to hurt others for so long without repercussions.

“Certainly, we know how charismatic he is, and what it’s like to be a victim of sexual assault. The shame you carry. The guilt you carry,” he said. “The fear of Scott. The fear of not being accepted by your family, your society, your church. All those things are enormous factors.”

One woman spoke about Owen touching her inappropriately during therapy when she was 13 years old, in 2007. During the hearing, the only woman to have publicly accused him said Owen had made her feel like something was wrong with her. Now, she added, “He no longer holds power over me.”

When Owen, 66, was given a chance to speak, he said there was no excuse or rationale for what he had done.

“I am so sorry,” he said. “All I have to offer is what’s left of my life. And I hope that in offering those years, justice will have been met in some small fashion, and those who I have hurt can disconnect from me and move forward with their healing.”

Defense attorney Earl Xaiz said Owen did not want leniency from the judge but mentioned in court that his client had been sexually abused himself as a child and had struggled with his sexuality.

Fourth District Judge Kraig Powell sentenced Owen on Monday to 15 years to life in prison. Given Owen’s age and the nature of his crimes, both prosecutors and the defense agreed it is likely he will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Powell became emotional as he handed down the sentence, telling Owen that he harmed not only those who spoke publicly on Monday, but all of those therapists and church leaders who are ethical and working to help people.

“Thousands and thousands of these people, I fear, will be affected by this terrible, abhorrent case,” the judge said.

While Owen gave up his therapy license in 2018 after several patients complained to state licensors that he had touched them inappropriately, the allegations were never investigated by the police and were not widely known.

Under a negotiated settlement with Utah’s licensing division, Owen was able to surrender his license without admitting to any inappropriate conduct, and the sexual nature of his patients’ allegations is not referenced in the documents he signed when he gave up his license. He continued to have an active role in his therapy business, Canyon Counseling, until The Tribune and ProPublica published their investigation.

Police interviewed more than a dozen former patients of Owen’s, all of whom reported that he touched them in ways they felt were inappropriate during therapy sessions. But Owen faced charges in connection with only three patients, because the type of touching that the other men alleged fell under parts of the criminal code that had a shorter window of time for prosecutors to file a case, called the statute of limitations. The crimes that Owen was charged with are all felonies that have no statute of limitations.

Both state licensors and local leaders in the LDS Church knew of inappropriate touching allegations against Owen as early as 2016, reporting by The Tribune and ProPublica showed, but neither would say whether they ever reported Owen to the police.

The church said in response to that reporting that it takes all matters of sexual misconduct seriously, and that in 2019 it confidentially annotated internal records to alert bishops that Owen’s conduct had threatened the well-being of other people or the church.

The church also said it has no process in place to vet the therapists its church leaders recommend and pay for using member donations. It is up to individual members, a church spokesperson has said, to “make their own decisions” about whether to see a specific therapist that their bishop recommends.

For some who accused Owen of abuse, Monday’s sentencing was the only chance they had to address Owen because charges could not be brought in their cases. That includes Michael, who asked to be identified by only his first name. He said he saw Owen for therapy on and off for about a decade, starting when he was 14. He read a letter to his younger self in court on Monday.

“I just learned on Thursday that we are beyond our legal opportunity to fix this problem,” he said. “And it broke my heart to learn that I can’t pursue a court case for you. … You’ll have to be strong. It’s going to be so hard, but you’re going to make it through.”

Options — and obvious non-contenders — for Utah Hockey Club’s final name keep getting extended through the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

But why?

It seems that the Club’s owners do not want the public to discover their team’s new branding through the trademark applications on the open database.

While the three finalists for the hockey team’s future name are known — Smith Entertainment Group conducted fan voting on the names Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth and Utah Outlaws at four Delta Center games in late January and early February — extensions on nearly a dozen trademark applications have been filed in recent weeks.

The Utah Hockey Club logos used during the inaugural season were extended on Wednesday. So were applications for Utah Outlaws and Utah Yetis, even though SEG has said it has moved on from the latter as a possible name.

Utah Mammoth, Ice, Mountaineers, Swarm, Squall, Blast, Glaciers, Hockey Club and Caribou were all extended at the beginning of February. Utah Fury, Venom and Blizzard are the only remaining names under “Uyte LLC” that have not been extended. Fury and Venom’s non-final office action came on Jan. 9 and Blizzard’s came on Jan. 16 — the organization has 90 days from that date to extend, so the window is still open.

By paying to keep all of the trademark applications active, fans and media alike cannot tell which brand the team is actually choosing.

What is a non-final office action? Why is it important?

A non-final office action is a communication from a patent or trademark examiner that raises a legal problem about one’s application for the first time. The application owner is required to respond to the letter within three months (90 days) from the date it was received. In that situation, an optional three-month extension can be granted for a fee. That is what SEG has continued to do.

If the application owner’s response satisfies the initial inquiry from the USPTO, it proceeds toward registration. Even if the team is not going to use say Swarm or Glaciers for its name, SEG can pay to extend them to mask the chosen brand.

There seems to be another layer, though. All of the potential names thus far have been filed under the “Uyte, LLC” owner. However, the three logos that appeared on the fan survey – and were subsequently leaked to the public — are filed under “SEG Hockey, LLC.”

The new Utah Mammoth, Utah Hockey Club and Utah Outlaws logo applications were entered on Feb. 3 and have not received a non-final office action yet. It does suggest, however, that those remain the top three choices as they are the only names SEG has registered trademarked logos for, other than the inaugural ones used this season. While all the names under “Uyte, LLC” may keep getting extended until the official announcement, the logos under “SEG Hockey, LLC” would be the thing to keep an eye on.

The organization likely already knows the name and can finalize the trademarks after they announce it to the public — the timeline remains sometime in the summer before the 2025-26 season.

The Kings thrived against the best team in the NHL again and on Thursday they’ll have another opportunity to complete a season-series sweep when they travel to Salt Lake City for the third and final meeting with Utah HC.

After winning for a third time Tuesday against the league-leading Winnipeg Jets and outscoring them 10-3 in the process, they’ll face the NHL’s newest franchise – sort of, following an absurdly complicated relocation from Arizona – with a chance to add to prior victories on Oct. 26 and Feb. 22.

The Kings have accumulated more points in the standings than any other NHL team since March 8, the day after the trade deadline. Only scorching St. Louis and the perennially tenacious Carolina Hurricanes posted better points percentages in that span than the Kings. The Kings have also placed second in goals allowed per game (behind St. Louis), eighth in goals for, sixth in penalty-kill percentage and 11th in power-play conversion rate since the deadline.

Their lone acquisition at the deadline or at any point since the season started, Andrei Kuzmenko, has revitalized the top line with Anže Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Most recently, his impact has gone beyond spacing or slotting players into the right spots in the lineup. Kuzmenko has five points in his past two games, and his pair against Winnipeg were masterful in terms of effort and deception.

He gave the appearance of a shooter only to deliver a lateral pass for Kopitar’s goal and then put up a playmaker’s facade before taking full advantage of the slightest bite from perhaps the best goalie on the planet today, Connor Hellebuyck. Kuzmenko erupted like he’d broken a late tie in a World Cup game.

“I like it, but I need more goals, more celebrations,” said Kuzmenko, whose English is a work in progress, but whose ebullience is well-established.

Kuzmenko’s effusive celebration was yet another testament to just how free he feels in what had been considered a restrictive and offensively limiting system all the way up until his arrival. Then, the Kings were in the midst of a season-worst losing streak that saw them score just eight goals in five games. They scored eight goals against San Jose and its shaky goaltending on Sunday alone.

Kuzmenko has always been an offensive-zone asset and one that could carve out space down low. He’s also recaptured some of the magic he showed off the rush with star linemates in Vancouver and Calgary. Yet both plays Tuesday came off takeaways by the 29-year-old Russian who’s competing in his third season in the NHL, having played for five different coaches already.

Not only has Kuzmenko fit in seamlessly in the Kings’ dressing room, he seems to have grasped the hierarchy quickly, avoiding disappointing the captain Kopitar.

“I can’t let him [down], I am respect too much, this guy, Kopitar, for several years. If I am a little bit lazy, not good back check, how I can see, [his] face is not good,” Kuzmenko said in his charming, piecemeal English.

In Utah, the Kings will see not only leading scorer Clayton Keller (80 points in 74 games), but an old chum in defenseman Sean Durzi.

The former King had an assist in his return to action following a lengthy absence (shoulder surgery) against his old club on Feb. 22. He also recorded the primary assist on the game-winning goal against Calgary on Tuesday in a matchup critical to the Western Conference wild-card race. Utah remained a longshot to qualify, but by prevailing 3-1, they put a significant dent in the Flames’ playoff aspirations.

KINGS AT UTAH

When: Thursday, 6 p.m. PT

Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City

TV: FDSN West