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Sandy • The celebratory boombox was bumping for the first time in a very long time. As the media horde prepared to bounce from one locker to the next, the tunes were briefly turned down. Yura Movsisyan teased there was no reason to lower the volume. Not after that night.

Not after that performance.

Not after putting an emphatic ending to nearly an eight-month-long winless streak.

The RSL forward had stepped up in recent weeks to voice that the team was in transition, that it needed to wipe everything away and start fresh under new coach Mike Petke with a new resolve. More than once, he said names, salaries and designations mattered not. So after helping RSL to a 3-0 win over Vancouver on a snow-packed Saturday night in Sandy, Movsisyan stood proud in front of his locker.

"At the end of the day, getting goals doesn't mean much if you're losing," he said after netting his third goal in four matches. "It felt twice as good today to win the game and get the goals. I feel very proud of our team for grinding it out. Just playing until the end and finishing our chances, but at the same time keeping it zero at home in front of our great fans."

That launching off point, that first step toward building a semblance of momentum, was achieved in an unforgettable spring blizzard.

RSL became the last team in the Western Conference to win a game, improving to 1-3-2. The 3-0 margin of victory was the largest since a 3-0 win over the L.A. Galaxy on Sept. 19, 2015. The second-half barrage of goals replicated RSL's total output in the previous four games. RSL registered only six shutouts in 34 games a year ago. The injury-plagued back line is already halfway there with three in five matches.

"Hopefully," midfielder Luke Mulholland said after thawing out, "we can build on that now."

The win counts the same as any other, but every player and coach postgame said it won't be one used to study tactics moving forward. RSL's reaction to play more straightforward as the snow piled up worked out to its advantage. Petke, his clothes sopping wet on the sideline, found himself screaming from the bench in the 70th minute to maintain possession.

"My coaches are looking at me like I have three heads," he said.

And once again, Petke managed to level it all off. The renovation project RSL's new head coach has been tasked with will take time, he reiterated. Maybe longer than fans want to hear. He said the result against Vancouver is only a footnote moving ahead to next weekend's match at Colorado, the first meeting of the Rocky Mountain Rivalry this year, and beyond in RSL's attempt to rebound from its early season struggles.

"This is a building block," Petke said. "Steppingstones."

There was no denying, however, the noticeable pep in the stadium. Even at kickoff, when the Rio Tinto Stadium PA announcer introduced the starting lineup, the usual cheers followed each player's last name. But when it came to Petke, the screams were more audible and stayed that way.

"I am a passionate guy, I get adrenaline all the time," he said. "[If] my cup of coffee is not made right at the diner, my adrenaline goes through the roof, so it is just who I am. It is a great feeling. It is mostly for the players, so this is a great night for them."

A night they'd been waiting on for quite some time.

ckamrani@sltrib.com Twitter: @chriskamrani —

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