NOTE: A Special Thanks to Michael Noel (https://mnoelphotography.smugmug.com) for providing the photos.
By Kevin Scott
| Box Score |
Score Sheet | League Scoreboard | Americans Team Statistics |
GREAT FALLS, Mont., October 18, 2024 — The #2 Great Falls Americans (8-4-0-0) have seven wins in eleven games after the first six weeks of the 2024-25 NA3HL junior hockey regular season.
The Americans have played four of the seven other NA3HL Frontier Division squads. They are 2-2 against the Sheridan (WY) Hawks, 1-2 against the defending NA3HL National Champion, Helena Bighorns, and won both of their contests against the Bozeman Ice Dogs (2-0) and the Badlands (SD) Sabres (2-0).
On Friday, the Americans hosted their fifth opponent in the #8 Yellowstone Quake (0-13-0-0), who are based out of Cody, WY. Luke Fry begins his second season at the helm of the Quake, who returns four players off their 2023-24 roster including Troy Czapar, Cooper Cunningham, Wesley Amos, and Logan Nichols. Newcomer Max Goulden leads the young squad with four goals while Wesley Amos has a team-high of three assists.
Meanwhile, Ty O’Bey has a team leading nine goals and Garren Narvaez has gathered 12 total assists for coach Greg Sears’ team.
Since the 2022-23 season, Great Falls is 8-2 against the Quake, including 4-0 last year. The Quake’s last victory against the Americans occurred on March 4, 2022, where the Wyoming team won, 4-1 to conclude the 2022-23 regular season in Cody, Wyoming.
Great Falls was looking for their third consecutive win in the month of October while Yellowstone was trying for their first win.
The #2 Great Falls Americans improved to 6-1 at the Great Falls Ice Plex as they dominated the #8 Yellowstone (WY) Quake, 12-0 on Friday evening in Great Falls. Forwards Blake Komrofske and Garren Narvaez combined for four goals and three assists in the Americans eighth win of the season. Goaltender Kaden Rhyder accrued his eighth win of the season.
With the Sheridan (WY) Hawks 6-4 road loss to the Butte Irish, the Americans have moved up to second spot in the updated NA3HL Frontier Division standings as of Friday night.
Great Falls’ offense lit up the lamp six times during the opening period. Six different Americans registered goals including Blayne Jusczak, Ty Brander, Ty O’Bey, Aiden Kennedy, Garren Narvaez and Zac Orwig. John Lang and Aiden Kennedy were responsible for two assists while Ty O’Bey, Sebe Perez, Cal Laggis, Matt Beazley, Easton Kennedy, Zac Orwig, Garren Narvaez and Fisher Hannesson had one. The Americans blanked the visiting Quake, 6-0. Yellowstone netminder Matthew Neeser started the game but lasted just eight minutes allowing five goals. He was replaced by Nate Whitson, who stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced for the final eleven minutes. Great Falls made 28 shots while Yellowstone had seven shots.
The Americans switched goaltenders before the second period began as Kale Whitt saw action for the third time this season replacing starter Kaden Rhyder. The home team scored four more goals eleven minutes into the second period. Blake Komrofske scored two goals (four overall this season) in the period while Garren Narvaez chipped in his second of the night and EJ Sanchez produced his first goal as an Americans player. Blayne Jusczak, Gavin Denis, Matt Beazley, Blake Komrofske, Zac Orwig, Sebe Perez, Fisher Hannesson, and Keegan Hanson collected the assists. After two periods, Great Falls scored ten goals by taking 49 shots. The Quake was held to nine shots with two shots attempted in the middle period.
The host squad put in two additional scoring drives in the third frame with Cal Laggis and Carson Sears providing the lamplighters. Carson Sears accumulated his first goal with the Americans 95 seconds into the third period. Easton Kennedy and Blake Komrofske earned the assists. Laggis’ second goal of the season came with Blayne Jusczak and Ty O’Bey setting up the play with 6:17 to play.
Six players provided a huge night of scoring for Coach Greg Sears’ squad. Blake Komrofske scored two goals and dished out two assists while Garren Narvaez finished with two goals and one assist. Four players (Aiden Kennedy, Zac Orwig, Ty O’Bey, and Blayne Jusczak) scored once and collected two assists.
Great Falls attempted half of their 56 total shots in the first period. Yellowstone gathered seven of their ten shots before the first intermission.
Carson Sears’ third period goal helped the Americans successfully get their one power play opportunity. The Quake were denied their three power play chances.
Kaden Rhyder played the first twenty minutes and stopped all seven shots by Yellowstone’s offense. The Pennsylvania goaltender is now 8-3-0-0 on the season after eleven games. Kale Whitt, Rhyder’s backup, swatted away three shots over the second and third periods in his third appearance for Great Falls. Matthew Neeser of the Quake fell to 0-7-0-0. Backup Nate Whitson played for 51 minutes and made 44 saves.
FRONTIER DIVISION UPDATE: The top-ranked Helena Bighorns (11-1-0-0) trailed the #6 Badlands (SD) Sabres (4-5-1-1) 2-1 after two periods of play on Friday night but outscored the South Dakota NA3HL franchise, 4-0 in the third for the 5-2 road victory in Rapid City, South Dakota. Finn Theriault of the Bighorns scored twice and had one assist in the third period to pace Helena. Thayne Coston and Patrick Gosselin scored in the second period for the Sabres. Malik Johnson stayed undefeated (8-0-0-0) as he redirected 25 shots for the winning team. Lochlin Jackson (1-1-1-1) acquired 47 saves in his first regulation loss for Badlands (Box Score).
The #5 Gillette (WY) Wild (5-5-1-0) and the #4 Bozeman Ice Dogs (6-3-0-1) each tallied three goals apiece after three periods of play on Friday evening in Bozeman, Montana. After neither team registered a goal in the five-minute overtime, a shootout was necessary to declare a winner. Gillette’s Chase Hapka and Max Arlt each converted a goal during the shootout for the 4-3 shootout win. Devin Bruns and Andrew Kaunas failed to get the puck by Wild goaltender Tate Cothern. Cothern raised his record to 3-3-0-0 with his 42-save performance. Isaac Weatherford (33 saves) is still seeking his first win (0-1-0-1) with his first shootout setback (Box Score).
Kazden Stineff scored three of the #7 Butte Irish’s six goals to lead his team to a 6-4 win over the #3 Sheridan (WY) Hawks. Butte is now 5-5-0-0 on the year. Daniel Shelden scored one goal and two assists for the Hawks (7-4-2-0), who fell to the third spot in the Frontier Division standings after #2 Great Falls’ 12-0 shutout victory against the #8 Yellowstone Quake. Butte’s Tim Nanson picked up his fourth win in six games (4-2-0-0) as he recorded 38 saves. John Simon fell to 3-3-0-0 despite 41 saves for Sheridan (Box Score).
NOTES: The Great Falls Americans Booster Club is raffling off “RTIC’ Coolers with three different prizes.
FIRST PRIZE: 52 Quart Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler with freezable divider, 30 can soft pack cooler, large ultra tough tote, (4) 30 oz. tumblers, and Meat Package from Central Avenue Meats.
SECOND PRIZE: 32 Quart Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler with freezable divider, 20 can soft pack cooler, small ultra tough tote, (2) 30 oz. tumblers, and Meat Package from Central Avenue Meats.
THIRD PRIZE: 22 Quart Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler, 12 can soft pack cooler, small ultra tough tote, (2) 30 oz. tumblers, and 10 lbs. of burger from Central Avenue Meats.
The drawing will be held at the October 25th home game against the Butte Irish and you don’t have to be present to win. All proceeds go to the Great Falls Americans hockey team.
Contact Adam Stanczak for tickets at 406-564-6771.
UPCOMING EVENTS: Friday, October 25th: “Think Pink for the Girls” Breast Cancer Awareness Night: The Americans will be wearing special edition pink jerseys and a special figure skating exhibition by the Great Falls Figure Skating Club during the first intermission. Life in Bloom Floral and Gift Boutique and She Bare Wax and Sugar will be raffling off gift baskets with several raffle items. The Great Falls Ice Plex ice will be painted pink. The special edition jerseys (signed by the player) will then be auctioned off with all proceeds going to “Think Pink For the Girls.” The auction will start during the morning of the October 25th and run through Sunday evening, November 3rd. Be sure to register with DASH (QR Code) and be ready to place your bid on your favorite player’s pink jersey for a great cause.
The Americans will donate $1 for everyone in attendance that night (matched by City Chevrolet) and will also offer a special signed and framed 8”x10” team photo in the Pink Jerseys for sale. A very special thanks goes out to Benefis Health-Sletten Cancer Institute for making this all possible as our partner who has made this event possible. Let’s pack the Ice Plex for “Pink” Night!
Saturday, November 2nd: Sled Hockey with the Great Falls Americans and Eagle Mount: A special sled hockey exhibition with the Americans players facing off against the Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation athletes. The exhibition (free to the public) will take place from 4PM-5:30PM before the University of Providence Argos game against Utah State at 7:00PM. Come check out sled hockey and support these amazing athletes.
Friday and Saturday, November 22-23: Military Appreciation Weekend: The Great Falls Americans will celebrate “Military Appreciation Weekend” during Friday, November 22nd (against the Bozeman Ice Dogs) and November 23rd versus the Butte Irish.
Season Two of the “Americans Podcast with Jim Quick” premiered on September 5, 2024, with his first guest of the season, Cole Molaski, a forward from Suamico, Wisconsin, who is in his first season with Great Falls. Other players featured this season include Ty O’Bey, Easton and Aiden Kennedy, Sebe Perez, Mercer Twomey and Zac Orwig. Click here to learn more about Zac Orwig on the official podcast of the Great Falls Americans. Each podcast will feature one American player as we get to know the team this season. Jim completed 13 episodes during his first season. Fans can listen to the full podcasts from Seasons One and Two by clicking here.
560AM KMON Weekly Radio Interview with Coach Greg Sears: Join KMON Radio Sports Director “Baker Bob” McNamee every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings during the 2024-25 season with Great Falls Americans Head Coach and General Manager, Greg Sears as he talks about the Americans. The Weekly Radio interview on 560AM KMON in Great Falls can be heard locally every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings during the Hourly Sports Report (6:15AM (MST), 7:15AM (MST), and 8:15AM (MST) live. Click here to listen to the current and previous radio interviews.
AMERICANS PHOTOGRAPHER: Look for game photos from all of the home games from Michael Noel, the Americans Official Photographer by clicking here.
AMERICANS E-NEWSLETTERS: The Americans have two email newsletters for fans to receive in their inbox this season. Kevin Scott, the Americans Media Coordinator, has an Americans E-Newsletter that you can get on Sunday’s during the regular season filled with game summaries, press releases, links, schedule, etc. Click here to subscribe (if you haven’t already).
Americans Owner Matt Leaf creates and sends out a weekly email called “Baldy’s Puck Drop” that features team news, player profile, sponsor information and lots of other tidbits relating to Americans hockey that is published on Thursday mornings. Click here to receive the weekly newsletter (if you haven’t already).
NA3HL MOBILE APP: If you haven’t already, download the NA3HL App available at the App Store and Google Play. Fans can set your favorite team to the Great Falls Americans today and stay up to date with the NA3HL. Click here to download from the App Store (Apple) or click here to download from the Google Play Store (Android).
2024-25 PHOTOS: Check out all the Americans photos throughout the season including some taken by Americans photographer, Michael Noel and Gentle Thug Media’s Tim Ljunggren. Click here to view all the photos from the 2024-25 season.
AMERICANS TEAM STORE: Click here to view the Americans online team store that features a variety of different souvenirs to purchase. A store is available at all home games. AMERICANS GAME TICKETS ONLINE: Fans can also buy game day tickets on the website prior to the game by clicking here.
Please check out the Americans website at www.greatfallsamericans.com for all your updated news, game summaries, rosters, photo galleries, etc.
NEXT CONTEST: The Americans cap off the weekend with their second contest against the Yellowstone Quake with the puck dropping at a special time of 3:35PM (MST) on Saturday, October 19th. All of the action from the Great Falls Ice Plex can be seen on the NA3HL’s official steaming service, NAHLTV.
Due to the University of Providence men’s hockey game at 7:00PM (MST) against Montana State on Saturday, the Americans are playing the earlier time slot.
P. Gibson’s Sports Grill and Casino (1600 Fox Farm Road) is the place to be after Friday and Saturday night home games where the Americans invite their fans and supporters to their post-game dinner.
Buffalo Wild Wings, located at 17 Northwest Bypass in Great Falls, hosts the “Americans Watch Party” this season when the Americans are on the road. Fans are invited to get food and drinks and watch the game.
NAHLTV is the NA3HL’s new streaming platform and is the place to catch all the action for fans that are unable to attend the home and away games this season. Click here to learn more about how to view any of the Americans home and away contests.
Click here for the 2024-25 Great Falls Americans schedule and results.
Additional Media Coverage: October 17, 2024: Baldy’s Puck Drop: Weekly Americans Newsletter by Team Owner, Matt Leaf, Volume 41. Click here to view the newsletter.
Additional Media Coverage: October 16, 2024: 560AM KMON: Weekly Radio Interview by KMON’s “Baker Bob” McNamee with Great Falls Americans Head Coach Greg Sears every week. Click here to listen to the full interviews.
Additional Media Coverage: October 13, 2024: Americans Podcast with Jim Quick: Americans forward Zac Orwig talked hockey with Jim. Click here to listen to all episodes.