Logan Cooley’s Last-Second Hat Trick Stuns Pittsburgh Penguins As Utah Mammoth Win In OT

Logan Cooley #92 of the Utah Mammoth celebrates his goal© AFP

Logan Cooley had a memorable night in Pittsburgh, scoring three times against the team he grew up watching. The Utah Mammoth forward rescued his team from defeat with a goal in the final second of regulation before Mikhail Sergachev completed the comeback in overtime for a 4-3 victory. The result came despite Ben Kindel's late goal putting Pittsburgh in front, as the Penguins were unable to protect their advantage in the closing moments. For Cooley, the performance carried extra meaning because of his childhood connection to the city and its hockey community.

Logan Cooley's Last-Second Goal Denies Penguins Victory

Cooley gave Utah an early advantage with two goals in the first period. His opening strike came after he intercepted an Erik Karlsson pass at 4:40, while his second at 14:11 saw him split Karlsson and Spencer Stastney before getting a shot past Arturs Silovs.

Karlsson brought Pittsburgh back into the contest with a goal in the second period. Rickard Rakell then tied the score with a short-handed goal in the third, giving the Penguins a chance to take control.

That opportunity arrived when Kindel scored with 25 seconds remaining, putting Pittsburgh ahead 3-2. But Utah pulled its goalie, and Cooley kept the puck alive by batting it out of the air with his backhand. The goal came with just one second left on the clock, completing his hat trick and sending the game to overtime.

Mikhail Sergachev Finishes Utah Mammoth Comeback in Overtime

Sergachev ended the contest at 3:27 of overtime. After Barrett Hayton's shot produced a rebound in front, the defenseman collected the loose puck and beat Silovs with a wrist shot from the slot.

Cooley had not scored in his six previous games against Pittsburgh. After the game, he spoke about growing up in the city and taking part in Sidney Crosby's Little Penguins Learn to Play Hockey program at age five.

"This city means so much to me," Cooley said. "The Penguins, I've kind of grown up with them with (Pittsburgh Penguins) Elite and the Little Penguins program."

Sergachev was pleased to see Cooley deliver such a performance.

"He's one of our top players who's supposed to be doing that," Sergachev said. "But I'm happy for him."

Kindel recorded a goal and an assist, while Evgeni Malkin also returned from an illness and collected two assists.

“I wouldn't say any emotion," Kindel said. "It's just nice to score a goal for the team and chip in when I can.”

Sebastian Cossa stopped 31 shots for Utah, which improved to 9-5-0. Silovs finished with 30 saves for Pittsburgh, now 5-6-2. The game was also the 10th in NHL history in which opposing teams exchanged a go-ahead and game-tying goal in the final 30 seconds of regulation.