If Game 1 was any indication, this series between the Utah Mammoth and the Vegas Golden Knights is going to be a war. While the Golden Knights walked away with a 4-2 win on Sunday night, the biggest story coming out of Game 1 is the feud between Logan Cooley and Nic Dowd. Cooley has officially become Public Enemy #1 in Las Vegas, and it didn’t take long for things to boil over.
Cooley’s Public Enemy #1
Cooley was on a mission early; he had his fingerprints all over this game. He scored the first playoff goal in Mammoth’s franchise history to give them a 1-0 lead late in the first period, and he continued to buzz all night. He played with an edge that clearly got under the skin of the veteran Golden Knights. The physical play was relentless from the jump as Vegas finished with 52 hits, but it was Cooley, who was at the center of every single scrum. He didn’t just score; he was agitating, and by the time the third period rolled around, the tension with Dowd reached a breaking point.
When the playoff seedings were finalized, there was essentially no one who would have thought that a series between the Mammoth and Golden Knights would have been more physical than the Battle of Pennsylvania. But it turned out to be true. Game 1 between these two teams turned out to be a very good one. There were a ton of scrums during play and after whistles. There were huge hits, chirping, just about everything that fans like to see during playoff hockey. That said, no one would have thought it would have been Cooley who was at the center of it all. It adds another layer to the storyline of the series, making it must-watch TV.
Cooley vs. Dowd
The friction between Cooley and Dowd exploded late in the third period. Following a faceoff Cooley shoved Dowd and sparked a massive scrum that left Dowd with some blood near his eye. He had to come out of the game to get medical attention to stop the bleeding. Which helped cool things down and let the final minute drain off the clock.
After the final buzzer sounded, the two were seen exchanging some very heated words. Things got even more interesting after cameras caught Dowd pointing and yelling in the direction of Cooley during the celebrations. He downplayed it after the game, choosing to not clarify what he said, but the look on his face told a different story. Cooley has clearly gotten into the heads of the Golden Knights, and Dowd seems more than willing to try and make Cooley’s life tough for the rest of the series.
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