West Mifflin native Logan Cooley scores three as Utah takes 4-3 OT win over Penguins

Logan Cooley, a 22-year-old forward from West Mifflin, recorded a hat trick to help the Utah Mammoth defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in overtime Thursday at PPG Paints Arena. The final score gave Utah a win, but the process cost Pittsburgh the opportunity to complete a three-game homestand with a perfect record.

Cooley, a former No. 3 overall draft pick, had not scored in his first six attempts against his hometown team. He changed that dynamic on Thursday night by tying the game at 3-3 with less than one second remaining in regulation. Mikhail Sergachev then scored 3:27 into the extra session to seal the victory for Utah.

The Penguins had taken a 3-2 lead with 25 seconds left in the third period when Ben Kindel scored. The goal was assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Egor Chinakhov. However, Cooley immediately responded to force the game into overtime. Malkin noted the brevity of the sequence, stating, "Under 20 seconds, and they score. We need to play so much harder.. It's a little bit tough that we lost."

This loss interrupted a positive trend for Pittsburgh. The team had closed a 0-4 road trip by beating Florida 4-0 on October 22 and defeating Nashville 3-2 in overtime on Saturday. A third straight win would have restored some momentum before the team travels to Montreal for a game on Halloween.

Cooley credited his environment for his performance. He mentioned participating in Sidney Crosby's "Little Penguins" learn-to-play program and watching the Penguins regularly while growing up. "This city means so much to me," Cooley said. "They've been such an amazing team for so long.. I'm super fortunate to be from here and to be able to grow up through the Penguins organization."

Penguins coach Dan Muse pointed to a specific breakdown in the final seconds. He explained that the team failed to support a puck recovery and move the disc to the neutral zone. "It didn't happen," Muse said. "They make a play into the slot and get the second chance right afterward."

Kindel returned to the lineup after a mid-fight medical scare that occurred during the teams' previous meeting ten days ago. Goalie Arturs Silovs made 30 saves for Pittsburgh. Despite these efforts, Cooley's performance stole the narrative. He now has four goals in his last two games and seven for the season.

Cooley described his third goal as one of his favorites. The Penguins must now prepare for their next game in Montreal after losing a point in the final seconds of regulation.