I'd never scored a pro hat trick before! - Loren Ulett

Photo: Flyers Images

It was a game to remember in Fife on Saturday, especially for Manchester forward Loren Ulett. The Storm forward scored four in an 11-goal game where he hit the winner 17 seconds from the end of the third period to seal a 6-5 win.

"Honestly, I don't think I've ever scored four goals in a game! I've been close to a couple of hat tricks in pro hockey, I got a few in college, but nothing like this before," began Ulett. "It was a crazy game, and one that we were chasing most of the way. One of the guys was joking with me about why I wasn't smiling after I scored the second, but we were behind. When I got the hat trick they told me 'hey crack a smile', but we were still chasing the game at that point. Everything happened so fast at the end but getting the win was the most important thing."

It wasn't just the goal that got fans talking after. Ulett's impressive spin celebration has found its way into EIHL meme-culture online already. "The fourth goal is a blur, and I didn't know I'd done the spin!" he laughed. "Joe Morrow had the video and said to me 'Hey check this out, how many times did you spin there?!' I think I got close to a Tony Hawk 900 there spinning around like a top! But I have to say I don't think I've ever been more set up. The passes I got from guys like Jake Durflinger and Grant Hebert, Joe made a great play, so I can't thank them enough."

For Ulett it's a second season in Manchester after making the move to Europe last summer, although his first outside of North America was cut short by injury in March 2024. "I'd just signed my deal to come back for another season, then I got injured, which was kind of a joke in itself around the rink," he explained. "So by the end of the season, I was an outsider looking in. We achieved a lot last year but the way we went out didn't feel great. There were a lot of learnings for us that we can take into this season. We obviously want to finish in a better position and make it ot that finals weekend, because in a one-game elimination playoff anything can happen.

"The medical staff we have here have been amazing. I didn't know when I would be back skating after getting injured, but their work to get me to be able to play pre-season was incredible."

The Storm forward also revealed that he loves being back in Manchester. "It's pretty much the first time in my career that I've had some familiarity coming back to a team, even in Kansas City we moved apartments so walking back into Manchester knowing my surroundings has helped me jump back into things," said Ulett. "Probably the biggest cultural difference I had to get used to, though, was people saying 'You alright?' every time you walk into somewhere. Back home, those are fighting words so it took me a little while to get used to! But I can definitely say that going back to Manchester, with all the familiarity in the surroundings, as much as it's a cliché, felt like home."