Coyotes' Keller: Cooley's dazzling goal 'the best I've ever seen'
Clayton Keller couldn't think of a more incredible goal he's witnessed than the one teammate Logan Cooley scored during the Arizona Coyotes' preseason win over the Los Angeles Kings in Australia on Saturday.
"That was one of the best moves I've ever seen," Keller said postgame, according to team reporter Patrick Brown. "The spin-o-rama was one thing, but then to have the patience to pull it to your forehand and then finish it, it's definitely the best I've ever seen."
Cooley flew into the Kings' defensive zone, pulled off the spin-o-rama, and then buried it while falling down, embarrassing multiple L.A. players in the process during the second period in Melbourne.
🥶 LOGAN COOLEY 🥶
— NHL (@NHL) September 23, 2023
The @ArizonaCoyotes have something special in this kid! #NHLGlobalSeries
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🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/bbR0FqIrhN pic.twitter.com/8FwhCSxeRq
The 19-year-old forward committed a turnover that led to the Kings' first goal of the game moments before getting redemption. He also didn't realize he scored until he noticed his teammates celebrating.
"After that pizza I threw up the middle, I thought I had to do something," Cooley said with a laugh, according to Brown. "It was just a hockey play, I thought I had some space, and I thought I missed the net, actually, but I saw the guys put their arms up.
"It definitely felt good to get that one, and it was an awesome game to play in."
Cooley was making his preseason debut. His show-stopping tally brought over 13,000 fans at Rod Laver Arena to their feet, but the rookie acknowledged that neither the goal nor the 5-3 victory were regular-season accomplishments.
"It felt good to get that one under my belt, but we'll wait for the real one to be that happy about it," he said.
Saturday's tilt was the NHL's first-ever game in the southern hemisphere. The Kings won the rematch 3-2 on Sunday.
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