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WATCH: "Salt Lake sucks" chant breaks out during Arizona Coyotes' final game at Mullett Arena
As the Arizona Coyotes played their final game at Mullett Arena before relocating to Salt Lake City, a passionate and frustrated crowd made their feelings known by chanting "Salt Lake sucks!" throughout the night.
Watch the video here:
Despite the Coyotes closing out their 28-year tenure in Arizona with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, the atmosphere was bittersweet.
The Coyotes faithful had long hoped that the relocation rumors surrounding their beloved team would never come to fruition.
However, those rumors became a stark reality this week when owner Alex Meruelo agreed to sell the franchise's hockey operations to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, who plans to move the team to Salt Lake City.
The chants from the fans echoed the frustration and disappointment felt by the community, who have supported the Coyotes through thick and thin.
While there is a glimmer of hope that the Coyotes could be revived in Arizona if Meruelo can build a new arena within five years, granting him the rights to an expansion team, the immediate future sees the team leaving its loyal fanbase behind.
Arizona Coyotes' 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers
The Arizona Coyotes came out buzzing in the energetic atmosphere, with Liam O'Brien scoring just 2:18 into the game to ignite the crowd.
Edmonton dampened the mood briefly by tying it up on Sam Carrick's redirected goal midway through the first period. But the Coyotes fed off the electric energy, playing with an edge all night.
Young star Matias Maccelli restored the lead for Arizona late in the second, outracing the defense for a breakaway goal that was met with loud cheers and a "Salt Lake sucks!" chant soon followed.
Lawson Crouse made it 3-1 early in the third by flipping a backhand shot past Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard. But Edmonton's Warren Foegele responded minutes later to cut the deficit to one.
Dylan Guenther, who finished with a goal and assist, scored with just over 5 minutes left to give the Coyotes a 4-2 cushion they would not relinquish. Sean Durzi added an empty-netter to seal the 5-2 victory.
Between the pipes, Connor Ingram had 25 saves for the Arizona Coyotes.
“We don’t want to take anything away from Salt Lake City and the people there,” Arizona Coyotes right wing Josh Doan said before the game.
“Obviously they have done nothing wrong. They’re embracing us with open arms, and and it’s just it’s hard moving away from home. At the end of the day, that’s the the moral of the whole story kind of right now.”
The win gave the Coyotes and their fans one last moment of glory before the impending move to Salt Lake City.
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