“We do it every year, honoring all branches of the service; current and former members,” Ogden Mustangs Sales and Marketing Director Tim Smith said. “We invite all branches of the military, but we’re so close to Hill Air Force Base, we get a really good show from them.”

Both contests opened with a ceremonial puck drop by multiple military members, and 16 specialty camo jerseys, minted just for this weekend, were auctioned off (eight each night) during the games and at intermissions.

“Some of the proceeds go to military charities. It’s our way of giving back to the U. S. armed forces,” Smith said.

Chris Flohaug, currently a Tactical Missions Director for the Defense Information Systems Agency at Hill AFB, and Air Force Munitions Systems Specialist David Wright, were the honoree puck droppers on Friday night.

Saturday feted Lt. Col. Bryan Ralston, currently the Commander of the 719th Test Squadron at Hill AFB, and Staff Sergeant Alexander Poorman of Hill’s Aircraft Battle Damage Repair as the ceremonial puck placers.

On the ice, Ogden swept the weekend series with the Outliers, winning 6-5 in an overtime shootout Friday and 5-2 on Saturday night.

After the close game Friday where the Mustangs scored three goals in the third period, they got three again on Saturday, breaking a 2-2 tie, with Jiri Duda getting goal number three, which proved to be the game-winner at the 7:39 mark.

“That goal was big. It brought a lot of energy to our bench and team,” Ogden forward Tommy Jacques said. “Everyone came together after that. We knew we were going to win. We got it done.”

Jackson Walsh’s goal made it 4-2 with 5:24 remaining and Jacques scored the finale less than two minutes later.

“I just got on the ice and saw the puck on the wall. I went down and (Brody Simko) saw me and gave me a really nice pass and I put it on the net and it went in,” Jacques said. “I was super happy about that.”

Denis Kuzmenkov scored two goals, Walsh had two assists and a goal, Jacques scored a goal and had an assist, as did Duda, and Simko passed two assists.

A scoreless first period finally ended when Kuzmenkov found the net for his initial goal with 54 seconds on the clock.

“Both teams are really structured. There’s a lot of organization of where we’re putting the puck and why,” fifth-year Ogden head coach Kenny Orlando said. “We broke the ice as a result of our guys being in correct position when they were trying to exit their zone, creating a turnover.

“It was a nice shot. When we get our chances inside of the dots we have to take advantage,” Orlando said.

Utah pulled even at 1-1 on a goal by John Carney early in the second period, then Kuzmenkov scored his second goal just before intermission, making it 2-1 heading into the third.

But Utah tied it 2-2 only 26 seconds into the third period on Justin Obrochta’s goal before Ogden scored the next three to put it away.

“They got a couple of lucky bounces. I feel like we need to be a little tighter in the defensive zone,” Jacques said. “We got caught flat-footed, but I think we bounced back really well after that and came back hard at them.”

The Mustangs lead the Mountain Division of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) and won the six-team division last year, advancing to the championship round before falling just short in the title match of the Dineen Cup.

“Our goal is to get back to it this year and win it,” Orlando said.

Ogden, Utah and Idaho Falls are bunched up near the top, within three points of each other, as the season nears the halfway point.

“It’s super tight. Razor thin. The standings can change any night,” Orlando said. “Three most consistent teams, like we are. Highly competitive for sure.”

As for Military Appreciation Weekend, Orlando was excited to be a part of it and said it helped his team to the sweep of the Outliers.

“The special jerseys were to show appreciation to our troops and everyone who supports our country; it was a motivation for our guys this weekend to remember what they’re playing for,” Orlando said. “It gets a little more energy and dedication from the guys.

“We’ve had 1,200 fans at each game. Great community support and great playing in front of high-octane fans. We try to recognize the military all the time, but it was at the forefront this weekend. I’m really grateful for them.”