By IceHockeyMan Editorial Team | 30 October 2026
Match date: 30 October 2026.
Final score: Mammoth 4, Penguins 3.
L. Cooley completed a hat-trick with one second left in regulation, wiping out Pittsburgh’s late lead before M. Sergachev gave the Mammoth a 4-3 overtime win over the Penguins on 30 October.
Game Story
The Mammoth built their early advantage through L. Cooley, who opened the scoring at 4:40 of the first period and struck again at 14:11, assisted by L. Crouse and A. Peeke. Pittsburgh had work to do after the opening 20 minutes, but gradually pulled the game back within reach.
E. Karlsson cut the deficit at 8:38 of the second, with B. Kindel and E. Malkin providing the assists. The Penguins then found their equaliser at 10:59 of the third, R. Rakell scoring from K. Korczak’s assist to make it 2-2.
The closing seconds produced a remarkable swing. B. Kindel put Pittsburgh ahead at 19:35, assisted by E. Malkin and E. Chinakhov, and the Penguins appeared to have seized the game at the last. Instead, Cooley struck at 19:59, assisted by V. Trocheck and C. Keller, to complete his three-goal night and force overtime.
M. Sergachev settled it 3:27 into the extra period, converting with B. Hayton credited with the assist. The Mammoth had let a late lead slip, but recovered in the narrowest possible window before taking the extra point in overtime.
Turning Point
B. Kindel’s goal at 19:35 of the third gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead, but L. Cooley answered at 19:59. That one-second-from-time equaliser transformed an apparent Penguins win into overtime, where M. Sergachev finished the job for the Mammoth.
Standout Performers
L. Cooley was the defining figure, scoring all three Mammoth regulation goals, including the equaliser with one second remaining. M. Sergachev supplied the overtime winner after logging 26:16, while S. Cossa made 31 saves on 34 shots. For Pittsburgh, B. Kindel had a goal and an assist, and E. Malkin contributed two assists.
Tactical Observations
Neither side enjoyed a clear advantage in shot volume, with both recording 34 shots on goal. The difference came in the game’s decisive moments. Pittsburgh overturned a two-goal deficit and generated the late go-ahead goal, but could not protect a one-goal margin for the final 25 seconds of regulation. The Mammoth absorbed that setback, earned overtime through Cooley’s late finish and made their extra-time possession count through Sergachev.
Coach Mark Comment
Twenty-four seconds after B. Kindel put Pittsburgh ahead, the Penguins were still one defensive sequence from closing it out. That is the hard part of a late lead: there is no time to admire it, because the next face-off and the next loose puck carry the whole night. Cooley’s goal at 19:59 was brutal timing for Pittsburgh and a huge moment for the Mammoth, but the overtime winner also showed why that equaliser mattered so much. It gave the Mammoth another chance to settle the puck and make the final decision themselves.
What It Means
The Mammoth turned a regulation game that had slipped away in the final half-minute into an overtime victory, with Cooley’s hat-trick at the centre of the result. Pittsburgh will be left with the contrast between its strong recovery from 2-0 down and the point that escaped after its 3-2 lead.
What Comes Next
For Pittsburgh, the immediate question is how to turn a late lead into a finished result. The Mammoth can take confidence from recovering so quickly after surrendering theirs, with Cooley and Sergachev delivering the defining goals.