3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 4-3 Loss to Stars

As mentioned, Rooney has been flying from Utah to Arizona and back repeatedly over the past couple of days. Six days ago, he was assigned to the Roadrunners. On Wednesday, he scored two goals in a game against the San Diego Gulls with his family in attendance for the first time. On Thanksgiving, he got a surprise call-up back to Utah.

In his most recent assignment to the AHL, head coach André Tourigny and general manager Bill Armstrong had a conversation with Rooney. They talked to him about why he was up in the NHL and what they want him to work on in the AHL. 

“They just told me to come down and play my game,” Rooney said. “Try to help the young guys here. When they need me up there, I could potentially go back up. Everybody in the organization has been super helpful, especially with my wife and my daughter.”

Every time Rooney has been called up to Utah, he has been a healthy scratch. Although he only had 9:44 of ice time on Friday, he was effective when deployed. We’ll see if he sticks in the lineup if Hayton returns on Saturday. Based on Friday’s game and his willingness to go up and down from the AHL this season, he should. 

Meet Me in St. Louis

As mentioned, it was a tough game to lose for the Mammoth. They played an all-around solid game and did a lot of things right. 

They had a quick start, which put the Stars on their heels early. Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther escaped on a two-on-one with Cooley scoring less than a minute into the game.

Rooney scored later in the first period to go up 2-0. However, Roope Hintz scored on a tip-in off a Mikko Rantanen shot on the power play right before the end of the period. That’s where one of the issues from Friday’s game lies.

The penalty kill for the Mammoth was unusually poor and was arguably the main problem of the game for the team. Wyatt Johnston’s late goal in the second period was also on the power play. The Mammoth ended up going two-for-five on the penalty kill.

“We got in trouble,” Tourigny said. “Dallas has a really good power play, and they took advantage of it. It was always a one-goal game, so we need to stack detail over detail to find a way to win with consistency right now, where we’re always one detail short, and this league doesn’t give you that liberty.”

It didn’t help that the power play continued to struggle, going scoreless on two opportunities. Adding to that, the Mammoth once again failed to score with their goaltender pulled. History has yet to be broken for them as they still look for their first goal in franchise history with their goaltender pulled.

The one other area where the Mammoth struggled was in turnovers. The big one was on the Stars’ second goal, where Kevin Stenlund directly turned over the puck to Jamie Benn, who scored. At the end of the day, the Mammoth had 18 giveaways.

However, against a Stanley Cup contender, the Mammoth did decent, especially given how their November has been.

“Give credit to Dallas,” Tourigny said. “They’re a really good team. Obviously, another Stanley Cup contender, but their power play was really clutch.”

If the Mammoth played how they did on Friday, odds are they’ll win most of their games. The Stars aren’t another team. They’re one of the best teams in the league, coming off their third straight Western Conference Finals appearance. A 16-5-4 record is one of the best in the league and would be one of the best of almost any other division if it weren’t for the Colorado Avalanche’s near-perfect record.

It’s a quick turnaround for the Mammoth. They’ll play the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. It should be an easy game considering the Blues have struggled. However, rest will be the number one enemy of the Mammoth as it is in every back-to-back matchup. Emotions will be high as well with the Mammoth reeling from a pretty emotional event.

Keeping the Kellers in Thoughts and Prayers

It would be inappropriate not to acknowledge what happened before the game on Friday. Keller’s dad, Bryan, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep, creating waves of shock and sadness, mainly for Keller but also the whole locker room.

It’s not just the players who form a family on their team. It’s usually each one of the wives, siblings, moms, and dads, too. Especially for someone like Keller, who has been around some of these other players for so long, his family has gotten to know most of his teammates really well.

Lawson Crouse is one of those players who has really gotten to know Keller’s entire family ever since he entered the league. As captain of the Mammoth, he’s taken care of and supported his teammates through thick and thin. With the passing of Keller’s dad, Crouse wanted to, for once, return that favor to him.

“It’s been an emotional 24 hours,” Crouse said. “Thoughts and prayers go out to his mom, his brother. He’s done an incredible job leading us and guiding us. I’ve been with him for 10-plus years now, and it’s really our turn to support him. It’s hard news, and we’re all trying to deal with it in the best way that we can, and trying to be there for him and support him and give him the love and the friendship that he needs.”

Keller chose to play in Friday’s game to honor his dad and to help his team. It shows how much he cares about the Mammoth despite going through the worst pain of his life. The forward’s ice time didn’t waver either. He had five really good shots on net. He looked solid against the Stars. Because of that, the Stars chose to name him the first star of the game, a fantastic gesture by the organization.

The fact that he chose to play rather than just sit out speaks volumes about Keller’s commitment to the team. It’s what makes him a beloved player and great captain.

“He loves his teammates so much, and his teammates love him so much, and he drives our passion and our competitiveness every night,” Tourigny said. “Is a kind of guy who wants to be better every night, and cannot. We cannot have a best, better example as a captain.”

The next game might be harder for Keller if he chooses to stay in the lineup. He’ll be heading to his hometown of St. Louis, where his family usually comes to watch him. Emotions will continue to run high, and the Mammoth will need to use that to their advantage rather than let it tear them apart.

“The emotions are still going to be running,” Crouse said. “It’s Keller’s hometown, and we can use that energy and lift our group up. It’s a very sad time for everyone, but we just have to do what we can here.”

Saturday’s game will be one of the most emotional ones that we’ve seen in the Mammoth’s franchise history. It will also be an important one as the team will try to avoid starting a long and critical road trip with a 0-2 record. One thing is for certain, though. Everyone will have Keller and his family in their minds as they navigate this difficult time.

The Mammoth will take on the Blues on Saturday. The Blues are 8-10-7 and are coming off a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. The two played each other four times last season, with each team winning twice. The Mammoth won the most recent game back in April by a score of 6-1.