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BALDY’S PUCK DROP Weekly E-Newsletter (September – August) |
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Baldy’s Puck Drop” Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Volume 38: September 26, 2024
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: Perspective time Americans’ fans! It is still September and there is a whole lot of season that still 
needs to be played. We are participating in a marathon and not a sprint. Was it a good weekend? Yes. Was it a good bounce back win on Saturday night? Again, yes! Is it what we would have expected from our team? Absolutely!
I think what I am trying to say is that we feel we have a very good team that can compete for a division and maybe even a league title. The expectations for this group are high and we expect to be able to compete against the top team’s night in and night out. We are also dealing with 16–20-year-old young men, so there will be ups and downs as they learn to establish consistency and work hard to get better each week. There will be injuries – maybe even to key players – and other players will be expected to step up and contribute. You saw some of that this weekend with a sub-par performance on Friday and a strong bounce back on Saturday. The key is to not get too high after a win and not get too low after a loss – there is a process in place that is designed to put ourselves in a position to be healthy AND play our best hockey come February and March.
Don’t get me wrong, we love your enthusiasm, and I know how important it is for you to end our 25-game losing streak to Helena. Saturday was a fun hockey game, and chances are pretty good you will see more of those types of games throughout the season and not just against Helena. We will win some and likely lose a few which is what it is supposed to be like. We want you to hop on that bandwagon and see if we can take you for a magical ride – but while on the bandwagon we will ask you to be respectful, welcoming and classy while trusting the process and keeping our goals in perspective. We expect our players to play with passion, respect and always represent our club and the community of Great Falls with the utmost professionalism. We hope you are willing to do the same.
Our next three games will be a healthy test on the road as we head back to Helena this Saturday and follow that up with a two game set with the first place Sheridan Hawks in Sheridan the following weekend. We would not want it to be any other way as we play the top teams in the league and measure exactly where we are at early in the season. For those not heading to Helena on Saturday, be sure to join many of our fans at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official watch party.
Congratulations to Ty O’Bey for earning Frontier Division 3rd Star of the week for the 2nd week in a row. Ty leads the team in scoring with 7 goals and 4 assists through 6 games followed by the Kennedy brothers with 8 and 7 points respectively. That puts him at 5th in the league in points through this early part of the season, but more importantly, he also leads the team in plus/minus through six games with a plus 5. For those who may not be familiar, plus-minus is a stat that is recorded where a player gains a plus when on the ice at even strength and their team scores and a minus when the other team scores.
For those who may be missing hockey on Friday night, be sure to join us for Oktoberfest at the 1st block of Central Avenue in Great Falls. We have partnered with Annie’s Taphouse and joined the Kellergeist and Tracy’s Family Restaurant for an evening of fun in the true Oktoberfest spirit. The first block of Central Avenue will be blocked off downtown for an evening (4:00-10:00 PM) of German beer, food and music along with an Americans’ booth promoting our game and giving all attendees a chance to win prizes. Many of our players will also be present to interact with our fans, so don’t miss out on this great evening in Great Falls and support our partners.
Player Profile – #20 Easton Delcampo (Deer Park, WA) 5’8” 150 lbs. DEF – Shoots Left
Favorite Team: Seattle Kraken Favorite Players: Darren Kramer 
Favorite Movie: Twister Actor/Actress: The Rock
Favorite Food: Mac-N-Cheese Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Protein Bar
If you were an animal: A Bird-Flying with friends looks like fun!
Musical Group You Won’t Miss in Concert: i Prevail
Music Guaranteed to get you hyped: Gunna or Polo G
Person stuck with on a deserted Island: Gordon Ramsey
Hobbies other than Hockey: Bass Guitar
Three People you would invite to Dinner: Gordon Ramsey, The Rock, Kendrick Lamar
College/University of Choice: University of Massachusetts
Like Most About Great Falls: The community – everyone takes care of each other.
How would you define a successful season: Personal happiness and development!
Here are the upcoming events for you to mark your calendars:
- Friday, September 27th – Block Party OKTOBERFEST – 100 Block of Central Avenue next to Annie’s Taphouse.
- Saturday, September 28th 7:05 PM – PM – official Americans Watch Party versus Helena at Buffalo Wild Wings in Great Falls.
- Wednesday, October 2nd – “Eat Wings, Raise Funds” event takes place at Buffalo Wild Wings. Look for special coupons that provides all our fans a chance to support the Booster Club by eating at Buffalo Wild Wings on October 2nd. 15% of all food sales, in store, from 4:00-9:00 PM will be donated to the Booster Club in their efforts to support the team through special events and resources.
- Friday, October 4th 4:00 PM-7:00 PM – we’ll be setting up at Malmstrom AFB for their OKTOBERFEST. This is a great opportunity for the Americans to interact with the Airmen and Women from Malmstrom and expose them to our great game while enjoying more great German Food, music and beer.
- Friday and Saturday, October 4th & 5th – the Americans travel to Sheridan for a two-game set, so mark your calendars and plan to join us at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official watch party.
- Friday and Saturday, October 11th & 12th – We host the Badlands Sabres at the Ice Plex for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana Night on Friday and the 2nd of our Gills Point S Tire and Auto tricycle races on Saturday. 7:05 Puck Drop both nights.
- Friday and Saturday, October 18th and 19th – We host the Yellowstone Quake with a 7:05 puck drop on Friday and 3:35 PM puck drop on Saturday followed by the University of Providence versus Montana game at 7:00 The 18th we will welcome Great Falls Hospitals and Clinics as our presenting sponsor.
- Friday, October 25th – you won’t want to miss our special “Think Pink For the Girls” breast cancer awareness night sponsored by Benefis Health – Sletten Cancer Center.
Finally, I would like to remind all our partners that we are offering a new opportunity of hosting a corporate outing or special event during one of our home games. A specially priced ticket package will provide access to our VIP area during the game with dinner provided, a cash bar and a special area to host your guests while enjoying the game with colleagues, friends or family. The VIP package is designed to host all kinds of groups and we can accommodate up to 50 people. If interested, please reach out to me for more details and your requested dates so we can get your event locked in.
Thank you to all our existing Eagle’s Nest, Diamond and Platinum Level partners for their continued support.
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Look for our newest activations on DASH as we continue to provide new and unique items for our fan base. You can register for exciting opportunities at: https://fans.winwithdash.com/auctions/greatfallsamericans.
Gold, Silver and Bronze Level Partners (* new this season)
| 3D International Restaurant and Lounge | All-State Signs | Annie’s Taphouse |
| Comparion Insurance-Todd Neighbor | Automotive Machine | Beacon Ice House |
| Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation | Benski Towing & Recovery | Big Sky Harley Davidson* |
| Floors & More Abbey Carpets | Big Sky Laboratory | Bravera Bank |
| Hoglund’s | Cascade Electric | Central Avenue Meats |
| Hotel Arvon-Celtic Cowboy | Central MT Lock & Safe | Century Gaming |
| Life in Bloom Floral & Gift Boutique | Coca-Cola* | Craftmaster Cabinets |
| Montana Air National Guard* | Culligan Water | Ferrin’s Furniture |
| She Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique | Great Falls Hospital | Hampton Inn & Suites |
| Stifel |Finnicum Financial Group | Highwood Creek Outfitters | Jersey Mike’s |
| Tilleraas Landscape & Nursery | Johnson Distributing | Karma Coffee* |
| Murphy Law | Open Door Wellness* | Play It Again Sports |
| Purvis Chiropractic* | Scheels | STARadio |
| Stockman Bank | TDS Fiber* | Teriyaki Madness |
| Traynor Capital | Visit Great Falls* | Westgate Repair Inc* |
Thank you for being a part of our family!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com