Coyotes praise crowd 'energy' at new ASU home

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Coyotes mislaid their location opener astatine Mullett Arena connected Friday night, the NHL team's archetypal crippled successful its impermanent location astatine Arizona State University.

Blake Wheeler's extremity astatine 32 seconds of overtime gave the Winnipeg Jets a 3-2 triumph implicit the Coyotes successful beforehand of a tiny but enthusiastic assemblage of 4,600 fans -- considered a sellout successful the NCAA-sized rink.

"Tough mode to extremity it, right? I felt we deserved better," Coyotes guardant Christian Fischer, who had 2 goals successful the loss, said. "But I thought vigor of the assemblage was great. Something that we've missed arsenic players, particularly guys that person been present for a while. It's loud, and the fans are cheering for us. That's each we truly attraction about. It's a chill small rink."

The Coyotes needed a caller location aft Glendale ended the team's 18-year tally successful the city, opting not to renew their lease astatine what's present known arsenic Desert Diamond Arena. The Coyotes person a declaration to play the adjacent 3 seasons and perchance a 4th astatine ASU portion they anticipation a caller arena successful Tempe is approved and constructed. A ballot from the metropolis assembly volition travel Nov. 29.

They'll stock Mullett Arena with the Sun Devils men's hockey team, with some of their logos painted astatine halfway ice. Retired Arizona prima Shane Doan and his lad Josh Doan, a Coyotes draught prime who plays for ASU, dropped the ceremonial archetypal puck together.

"There was an vigor retired there," Arizona manager Andre Tourigny said. "Good to beryllium successful beforehand of our fans, and the assemblage was into it. We were looking to spot what benignant of ambiance it would be, and it was truly chill retired there. You could provender from that vigor of the fans."

The attendance was capped astatine 4,600, with immoderate seats reserved for visiting media and the tv broadcasts. That assemblage included a packed ASU pupil section, wherever fans dressed arsenic bananas and characters from the Netflix bid "Squid Game" helped make the bulk of the game's chants. A drumline added collegiate flavor. Every instrumentality successful the gathering was fixed a Coyotes T-shirt and a commemorative mullet, with blonde hairsbreadth cascading down from a headband that work "Go Coyotes Go!"

Arizona played its full preseason and the archetypal six games of the regular play connected the roadworthy arsenic operation connected Mullett Arena, which is named for a household whose financially backing helped the Sun Devils scope NCAA Division I presumption successful 2014, was completed.

A 15,000 gross-square-foot annex is inactive being built adjacent to the arena, which volition location NHL-quality locker rooms and grooming facilities for some the Coyotes and distant teams. But that annex won't beryllium acceptable until December, truthful Arizona's archetypal 4 visiting opponents indispensable usage a impermanent locker country built atop a assemblage rink housed adjacent to Mullett Arena.

"It's different. The crushed is acold from being connected apical of the ice. When you instrumentality your shoes off, it's a small chilly connected the feet," Winnipeg rookie Cole Perfetti said. "But we knew it was temporary. We knew what we were coming into. It's unique. It's beauteous chill to beryllium the archetypal squad to ever beryllium a portion of this. It's weird. But it's cool."

The Coyotes play 3 much location games and past deed the roadworthy for 14 consecutive roadworthy games arsenic the annex is completed.

Fischer scored the archetypal 2 goals astatine Mullett Arena. Fischer's 2nd extremity came astatine 15:28 of the archetypal play but was answered by Perfetti's 3rd extremity of the play conscionable 26 seconds later.

The Coyotes led until 8:34 of the 3rd period, erstwhile Winnipeg's red-hot Mark Scheifele scored his sixth extremity connected the play to necktie the score.

Arizona goalie Karel Vejmelka was outstanding successful the loss, making 32 saves that included 12 successful the 3rd play to the delight of the mullet-wearing crowd.

"It's going to beryllium our location for 3 years here, possibly adjacent four," Fischer said. "I deliberation the much we clasp it, [it'll be] a pugnacious spot to play. We tin usage this to our advantage. You perceive each the worldly that teams astir apt don't privation to travel present [because] of the tiny environment. Well, that'd beryllium large for us. Let's usage that arsenic information to marque it damn hard to play here."