PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania — When Logan Cooley just started learning the game of hockey as a kid growing up in Pittsburgh, he took part in Sidney Crosby's Little Penguins Learn to Play hockey program.
Now, the standout Mammoth forward is 22 years old and scored a hat trick on Thursday night against his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"They've been such an amazing team for so long, and I was fortunate to be in the city to be able to watch them every night," Cooley said about the organization. "Those are the guys I looked up to, and I'm super fortunate to be from here. I haven't scored against these guys. To get three (goals) was obviously special and to get the win, it means even more...it's great to be in this city. I love this city."
Cooley's third goal of his hat trick came in dramatic fashion. He found the back of the net with a second left in regulation that tied the game at 3-all and sent it to overtime. Just about 20 seconds prior, the Penguins took a 3-2 lead.
It's not over until it's over, as the saying goes. The momentum stayed with Utah into extra time, and Mikhail Sergachev scored the game-winner as the Mammoth walked away with a 4-3 win.
"That's big for us, not because we won the game, not because we tied," Utah Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny said about the late rally from his team. "We were able to refocus on the emotional situation where we just gave up the lead on the game. We felt we had a lot of (chances) to separate ourselves, we did not. There were frustration, and we're capable of making the big play at the key moment."
Sergachev, who scored the game-winner, put into words what Cooley means to the team — and what his ceiling is.
"He's going to show everyone what kind of player he is, and he's an unbelievable skater," he said. "He defends hard. He does everything right, and when he puts it all together, he's what he is tonight."
Pittsburgh is nicknamed the 'Steel City' due to its central role in American steel manufacturing. It's an industry built on blue-collar work and mentality which created an identity of hard work, grit and never giving up — which Cooley personified on Thursday night.