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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 55: January 23, 2025
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: I am not going to pretend to have any of the answers as to the results from last weekend. There is no doubt that Friday night was a disappointing effort and result in their 5-3 empty net loss after giving up 2 power play goals within 30 seconds late in the game. Saturday, our team played much better and with more effort – after being significantly challenged by the staff – but had a major meltdown giving up four goals in the 2nd period before battling back to force overtime. Huge kudos to Kale Witt who entered the goal in relief in the 2nd period and gave our team a chance to win.
There are a lot of different dynamics that are prevalent during any hockey season that may have an impact on results. January can present sort of a ‘dog days” of the season where burnout can take place and it is more difficult to get up for every game or practice. In some cases, one team may simply have the other team’s number and does not match-up well against a certain opponent. Consistency has been an issue with this team all season (see 2nd period Saturday) and the ability to play a full 60-minutes every night. Yes, this past weekend hurt and has made it more difficult to achieve our regular season goals – home ice for the playoffs, maximizing top prospect participation, taking care of business at home, etc. etc. etc. – but it has not changed what this team can accomplish come March and now is the time to get laser focused and put in the work for the final 12 regular season games. Stay tuned as we will find out just how good this squad can be or maybe find out that we never were really as good as we thought. My gut says the former is the result!
Once again, congrats to Garrett Driscoll for playing in his 100th Junior game last Friday as well as Zac Orwig playing in his 150th. Our Captain,
Sebe Perez (pictured left) will be joining Zac in the 150 club next Wednesday in Havre. It may not sound like much, but reaching these types of milestones reflects commitment, dedication and a love for the game that is pretty special. We are pleased to have these young men as part of our hockey family and look forward to them finishing their junior careers strong and following them in their future endeavors.
It is also that time of the year when we start tendering players for next season. A “Tender” is a signed commitment to play for the Americans for the next season and, although it is not a guaranteed commitment as they could still make a higher-level team, it is the start of building a team as we will then have that player’s rights for the 2025-26 season. We will update you as these tenders get signed and I am happy to announce we have signed Reid Lezubski, an 07’ forward from Chestermere, Alberta who has scored 16 points in 23 games for the Calgary Rockies U17 team. Some of you may remember Reid was at our prospects camp last May and stopped in to watch a weekend series in November.
I promised that I would provide a little insight regarding our upcoming home game in Havre next Wednesday. Part of the scheduling process with the league is to provide 36 potential home dates for the following season in the Spring. The difficulty comes into play when working with the Ice Plex and the other user groups to determine those 36 dates and, obviously, we would prefer to play on Friday-Saturday nights. Our game with Bozeman was originally scheduled for Saturday the 25th – but there is a conflict with Youth Hockey and their annual 12 & Under tournament that makes the Ice Plex unavailable. Conflicts with Youth Tournaments and other user group events also creates the situation where we have a top-heavy home schedule the first half of the season. Enter Havre Youth Hockey who had reached out to us last summer and indicated they were interested in hosting one of our home games in an effort to help promote hockey in their community and explore the possibility of bringing a junior team back to Havre. This weekend happened to be their biggest fundraiser event – an Annual Adult Tournament – so Saturday night was not an option. But with their cooperation along with Bozeman, we landed on Wednesday night and are looking forward to a fantastic night of hockey in Havre.
The Havre community has been wonderful. You heard about our day up there working with their youth programs earlier this month and even being a week out, we have already set a record for advanced ticket sales. The Corporate Community has stepped up huge to support the event as our VIP corporate experience has sold out. I want to acknowledge all these local Havre partners and thank them for their support!
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Of course, we would love for all of our fans to be able to make the trip up to Havre for the game, but understand that real life gets in the way. 
For those who can’t make it, plan on heading over to Buffalo Wild Wings for our official watch party. They do a great job of setting our fans up on the patio with multiple TV’s tuned into the game with great food and drink. Puck drop is 6:05 PM and it is a great way to watch the game with other passionate fans.
Our next game is in Butte on Friday night with a 7:30 PM puck drop. It will be a great opportunity to get back on track before a very difficult schedule the next several weeks.
Look for our annual Valentine’s Day auction from DASH in next week’s edition and be prepared to bid on these unique opportunities to surprise your special valentine with a special package delivered by Baldy!
Player Profile – #22 Garrett Driscoll (Colorado Springs, CO) 5’11” 175 lbs. DEF– Shoots Left DOB 06/17/2004
Favorite Team: Detroit Red Wings Favorite Player: Moritz Seider
Favorite Movie: War Dogs Actor/Actress: Jonah Hill
Favorite Food: Spaghetti Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Chipotle
If you were an animal: A Bear – They are big and sleep half the year!
Musical Group You Won’t Miss in Concert: Guns and Roses
Music Guaranteed to get you hyped: Whatever is in the dressing room!
Person stuck with on a deserted Island: Masen Kerr
Hobbies other than Hockey: Fishing
Three People you would invite to Dinner: Donald Trump, James Franco, The Breakdancer from Australia
College/University of Choice: Michigan State University
Like Most About Great Falls: The small town feel and the support of the fans.
How would you define a successful season: Be #1 in the Frontier Division!
Here are the upcoming events for you to mark your calendars:
- January 24th – Road game versus Butte at 7:30 Official Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings.
- January 29th – Home game versus Bozeman at the Havre Ice Dome. 6:05 PM Puck Drop with Official Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings. A special thanks to our local presenting partners Havre Youth Hockey, Havre Ford, High Plains Wealth Management, Independence Bank, Patrick Construction, Red’s Powersports, Shanty Bar, Tilleman Motor Co, Morse Construction and Valley Furniture.
- February 1st – Home game versus the Helena 7:05 Puck drop as part of a UP double header as Providence takes on UND-Williston at 3:35.
- February 2nd – Road game versus Bozeman at 5:45 Official Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings.
- February 7th and 8th – Road games versus Sheridan at 7:30 Official Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings.
- February 1-10 – Special Valentine’s Day Fan Activation Auction through Three amazing Valentine’s Day packages to be delivered to the winners by Baldy on Valentine’s Day!
- February 14th – Home Game versus the Helena 7:05 Puck drop.
- February 15th – Road game versus Bozeman at 7:30 Official Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings.
Thank you to all our existing Eagle’s Nest, Diamond and Platinum Level partners for their continued support.
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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* |
| Mountain Title Company* | Croxford Funeral Home and Crematory* |
Thank you for being a part of our hockey family!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com