3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 6-2 Win Over Wild

Similar to the recent game against the St. Louis Blues, Cooley’s night wasn’t done. He scored a second goal by shoving in a puck in front of the net a couple of minutes later to make it 2-0 Mammoth early. It was his fifth goal in the past two games. 

Jumping ahead, JJ Peterka scored his third goal of the season. It came off a fantastic shot from the German forward. However, the puck that came from him came from guess who? It was Cooley who passed it on his backhand after a lapse from the Wild’s defense. The assist was Cooley’s third point of the night and his seventh of the past two games.

It wasn’t just Cooley and Peterka making all the noise. Schmaltz once again scored for the Mammoth. His first goal on Saturday came off a tip from Nate Schmidt’s shot. The assist for Schmidt was his first point with the Mammoth. 

It wasn’t the last goal for Schmaltz against the Wild. The forward potted in one more goal towards the end of the third period on a breakaway to put the Mammoth up 5-2. The two goals made it three straight games with goals for Schmaltz. It also continued a six-game point streak in which he scored 13 points across those games. 

Cooley and Schmaltz, in particular, have been incredible for the Mammoth. While both of the top trios and their ability to find each other have helped the duo become anchors on their respective lines, it’s been Cooley and Schmaltz carrying the offense more than any other player.

“Those guys have been unbelievable for us,” Marino said. “They’ve been the backbone as a team. They’ve stepped up when we need them the most, especially in the last couple of minutes of these last games.”

Head coach André Tourigny has loved their offense as well. However, like he usually does, Tourigny sees both sides of the puck. He’s happy to see Schmaltz and Cooley continue their offense while playing a solid two-way game as well.

“I think they’ve had a really good start,” Tourigny said. “Cools (Cooley) is competing on both sides of the puck. Same thing with Schmaltzy (Schmaltz). They are reloading really well. They play really well on both sides of the park, so they don’t let success change the way they play. They have success that way, and they sustain. I’m happy for them.”

Something that is notable about Schmaltz and Cooley is that they are the biggest names on the Mammoth who have expiring contracts. Both as of right now are playing the best hockey out of anyone on the team. It’s pretty common to see players in contract years thrive and have big seasons. It’s no different with Schmaltz and Cooley, who are essentially saying “show me the money” with their play right now.

Contract talk set aside, it seems like the Mammoth are having fun playing hockey. It’s something we haven’t seen a lot in the past couple of seasons due to some poor starts. However, that’s not the case right now with six straight wins in the books.

“It’s always a lot more fun when you’re scoring,” Cooley said. “We’re on a streak right now, and we’re fortunate to be scoring right now. It’s a lot of fun. We got to keep it rolling.”

With tougher opponents on the horizon, we’ll see if the top six can continue their domination. Even if not, it’s been a fantastic start for the Mammoth’s offense, and it’s turned a lot of heads around the league.

Karel Vejmelka Continues Being a Wall in Net

One of the most underrated parts of the Mammoth’s success so far this season has been Karel Vejmelka and his great performance in net. 

While his collective save percentage is currently at .905, he’s been outstanding for the Mammoth. After losing his first game of the season against the Colorado Avalanche, Vejmelka has yet to lose another game, winning six straight games in a row. Only in two of those games was his save percentage below .900.

The game against the Wild on Saturday was actually the most amount of shots he’s faced in a game this season. They weren’t easy shots either. Yet, Vejmelka found way after way to rob his opponents, including a massive stretch save with his pads near the end of the second period. He nearly robbed the Wild again on a Vinnie Hinostroza pass to Marcus Johansson a couple of minutes later.

Perhaps some of Vejmelka’s best saves came at the end of the day. Despite the Mammoth being up 5-2, the Wild pummeled the Czech goaltender with shots until Marino eventually scored an empty net goal. At 5-2, there was a slim chance the Wild were coming back, yet Vejmelka kept playing his best hockey, which shows how much he cares about giving the Mammoth his best results.

“He’s been dynamite for us all year,” Marino said. “He was great. A six on four, making all those saves, even when you could say it didn’t really matter, but he was still playing lights out. I think that kind of speaks to the person that he is in the way that he’s playing.”

With the game against the Wild being a back-to-back, it wouldn’t be surprising if Vítek Vaněček gets the start against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. However, Tourigny has been known to ride the hot hand for however long he needs to. 

Last season, when the Mammoth played their usual back-to-back games against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, Vejmelka played both games. It shows the confidence Tourigny has in his main goaltender. That support was once again expressed by the Mammoth’s head coach on Saturday.

“He (Vejmelka) was rock solid,” Tourigny said. “At the end, it was a shooting gallery, so he was really good, but he had a really good game. All game long, he made key saves at key moments. He was really good.”

Just as impressive as guys like Schmaltz and Cooley have been for the Mammoth, Vejmelka shouldn’t be forgotten. His incredible saves have certainly helped his team win six in a row and become a dominant force in the Central Division.

Make it Half a Dozen Wins in a Row for the Mammoth

Speaking of being a dominant force in the Central Division, with the win, the Mammoth have improved to 7-2-0. That puts them in first place in the division.

A good rule of thumb in hockey is to have a great start to the season so you don’t spend the latter half of the season trying to make up for the mistakes you made in the fall or winter. It’s something the Mammoth didn’t do well last season. With their franchise’s best win streak hitting six games, you can tell they’re certainly trying not to repeat last season’s weaknesses.

The Wild are no laughing stock. They are expected to compete for a playoff spot as well. They pushed the Mammoth especially towards the end of the game. However, the Mammoth hung on and fought back, showing off their resilience and willingness to win.

“The last couple of wins here, you lose momentum throughout a game,” Marino said. “It’s just gonna happen. It’s about how you respond and what you do after that. So far, we’ve been able to do it the right way. Hopefully, we can keep that going.”

It’s also been a notably positive bench compared to years prior, when the team has struggled throughout a game. That’s not saying that players haven’t been supportive of each other. It’s more about younger players becoming more mature, which is something you want to see out of guys like Cooley and Peterka.

“When teams are pushing back, I think we’re managing the game a lot better than we would have last year,” Cooley said. “We know teams are going to push, but I think just staying positive on the bench, I think that’s been a big piece so far. Guys are a lot more mature and managing the game the right way.”

It’s allowed the team to really show off its full potential. An example is the aforementioned Cooley. Despite a rough first couple of games, he didn’t get frustrated. Rather, he continued working on his play, and it’s allowed him to get to the production rate that he’s at now. 

Maturity is a big part of winning in the NHL. The Mammoth’s growth in that department was on full display against the Wild, and it’s what has helped them reach six wins in a row, among other things.

The Mammoth will play next on Sunday against the Jets. The Jets are 6-2-0 this season and are coming off a 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames. The two teams played each other four times last season, splitting the season series. The Mammoth won the most recent matchup in April by a score of 4-1.