The three-time defending state champion Miners Red hockey team is off to another hot start to a season.  Park City has gone 5-0, with wins over the likes of defending school-affiliated state finalist Brighton Navy and school-unaffiliated state champion Sky Canyon.  The Miners Red have outsc ored their opponents by 42-7.  Wyatt Nellis has led Park City with 20 points on 13 goals and seven assists. Pierce Adams is not too far behind, with 16 points on six goals and 10 assists. Jayden Jacobs and Gabriel Lloyd each have 14 points on seven goals and seven assists and five goals and nine assists, respectively.  “We’ve been playing more of the top teams in the state and still doing really well,” said first-year head coach Tom Gatta. “(We) have been taking control of most games that we’ve played, winning by large margins and working on things constantly.” Gatta assumed the role after working as an assistant under longtime head coach Mike Adamek, who moved on to a new job. That role only allows the time for him to be an assistant for the Miners Red.  The Utah High School Hockey league is trying to schedule their best teams like Park City against others like Brighton Navy and Sky Canyon more often this season. The Miners Red took down Sky Canyon on Sept. 2 and Sept. 21, and they were set to face Brighton Navy for a second time on Wednesday night. Both teams arrived at Murray’s County Ice Center, but Gatta said the league hadn’t booked the rink, so the game had to be postponed to Nov. 4.  The rescheduled game will be the Miners Red’s next, held at 9:15 p.m. at the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center. “Brighton is always a big game,” Gatta said. “We have seen them six out of the last seven years in the finals. … That’s our rival right now and who we want to beat every year to win this championship.” The state playoffs will be in January, and if the Miners Red are able to claim a fourth-straight state title, they will also earn a fourth-straight bid to the national championships, often held in March. Gatta said he thinks he’ll be able to schedule some games against nearby national high school powerhouses to ready the team for nationals this year. Park City’s trips to nationals have sometimes been short-lived, with the team often making it a goal to escape group play and win a game or two there.  “Each game, we’re sharpening the axe,” Gatta said. “We want to get a pick at another state championship. … We’re trying to get some out-of-state teams to come in so we can work on our goal of moving on through quarterfinals at nationals.” Gatta said the senior class has really been leading the charge this season. He’s hopeful some who picked up injuries can be back for the final stretch of the season.  “It’s been really fun,” Nellis said about the start to the season. “It’s a high expectation in playing for Park City, so it’s good that we’re meeting that expectation and still winning all these games.”  Nellis feels the team’s longer-term goals are helping them maintain their focus in blowout wins. He was part of a small group on the team who spent part of their summer training in Finland.  “It was a really good and fun experience,” Nellis said. “I feel like the hockey in the United States is good, but foreign hockey is also very fun and fast.”  The Miners Red’s next home game will be against Bingham at 7:15 p.m. at the Park City Ice Arena on Nov. 18. Park City will have their senior night game at 7:15 p.m. at the ice arena against the Miners White team, also a varsity team but often comprising younger players, on Dec. 16.  For more information about the Miners Red, see their Gamesheet page at tinyurl.com/47w3trjd. The post Miners Red hockey team is 5-0 this season appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less