NOTE: A Special Thanks to Pam Stanczak, Kevin Scott and Michael Noel for providing the photos.
By Kevin Scott
| Box Score |
Score Sheet | League Scoreboard | Americans Team Statistics |
GREAT FALLS, Mont., February 1, 2025 — Through seven meetings with the top-ranked Helena Bighorns (32-3-1-1), the #4 Great Falls Americans (22-12-3-1) have two wins, three losses, one overtime setback, and one shootout loss against their rivals.
The previous matchup between these Frontier Division foes was on January 10th when the Bighorns got by the Americans, 5-4 in overtime in Great Falls. After a scoreless first period, the Americans trio of John Lang, Chase Hapka and Aiden Kennedy put the home team ahead 3-0 early in the middle stanza. Austin Uecker and Finn Theriault scored for Helena before the third period to pull the Bighorns to within one goal (3-2). Zac Orwig’s score increased the Americans lead to 4-2. Helena then scored two goals by Kade Pareja and Jason Hammett before the end of regulation to force an overtime. Great Falls was 16 seconds away from deciding their sixth encounter when Helena’s Colin Becker lit up the lamp for the comeback win for the visiting team (game story).
With the Badlands (SD) Sabres 5-3 decision over the Gillette (WY) Wild on Friday inside the Roosevelt Park Ice Arena in Rapid City, South Dakota (box score), the Sabres (22-13-4-2, 50 pts.) have taken over the second spot in the NA3HL Frontier Division standings and have traded places with the Sheridan (WY) Hawks, who did not play this weekend as they moved down a spot to third place with a record of 23-11-2-1, 49 pts. The Great Falls Americans (22-12-3-1, 48 pts.) are now in fourth place after two losses this week.
After Saturday’s contest, the Americans and Bighorns will face off for the final time on Friday, February 14th at 7:05PM (MST) at the Great Falls Ice Plex.
The top-ranked Helena Bighorns erased a second period (3-1) deficit to comeback to even the game before the end of regulation and after a scoreless overtime set up a shootout where they escaped with a 4-3 win over the #4 Great Falls Americans on Saturday night in Great Falls.
Helena and Great Falls each put the puck in the net for their respective teams in the first period. The Bighorns struck first when Austin Uecker’s pass to an open Jason Hammett, who buried the puck in the net for the 1-0 lead with twelve minutes on the clock. Finn Theriault received the secondary assist. Great Falls evened the score (1-1) six minutes after the Bighorns scored when Fisher Hannesson’ slapshot got by Helena netminder Tyler Miller with a helper from Ty O’Bey, who now has 26 assists and Zac Orwig, who created his 29th assist. The first twenty minutes saw 29 total shots between these two rivals.
The Americans played tough and physical hockey and outscored the Bighorns, 2-0 in the second stanza. Aiden Kennedy recorded his 20th goal of the season during the first three minutes when Helena was in the sin bin. Ty O’Bey collected his second assist of the night and John Lang provided his 23rd assist of the year. The home team’s 2-1 lead lasted until the final 17 seconds when John Lang netted his 15th goal with assistance from Keegan Hanson and Garrett Driscoll. Each squad ended the second period with identical first period shot attempts, 17-12 in favor of Helena.
Helena’s offense scored two unanswered goals in the third frame during a 2:27 span to even the score at 3-3. Trey Pareja scored off a pass from Caden Fenstein and Colin Becker with 12:15 left and then with 10:48 shown on the clock, Chase Berg tacked on the game-tying goal with Cam Young setting up Helena’s third scoring drive. Both squads could not find a way to put the biscuit in the basket for the rest of the period so a five-minute extra period was necessary.
The five-minute overtime did not produce any goals, so a shootout was necessary.
Jason Hammett of the Bighorns, who added a goal in the first period, was the only player to accumulate a score against the opposing goaltender in the shootout to give the visiting team another victory. Bighorn teammates Finn Theriault and Austin Uecker were unsuccessful in their attempts. Meanwhile, Ty O’Bey, John Lang and Aiden Kennedy came up empty in their one-on-one attempts against Helena goalie Tyler Miller.
Helena outshot Great Falls 47-31 after three periods and finished with a 53-44 shots-on-goal advantage.
The Bighorns capitalized on one of their three power play chances while Great Falls scored once on their six tries. The top team in the Frontier Division ended the contest with nine penalties resulting in 39 minutes spent off the ice. Great Falls had five minor infractions called against them.
Tyler Miller (Helena) had 38 saves in 65 minutes in the net that helped him elevate his record to 11-2-1-0 and is now 3-2 as the netminder against Great Falls. The Americans started and finished with their new goaltender, Isaiah Paulnock (0-0-0-1) who made his debut with 47 saves over 65 minutes.
NOTE: A Special Thanks to Michael Noel (above, https://mnoelphotography.smugmug.com) for providing the photos.
FRONTIER DIVISION UPDATE: A trio of Badlands (SD) Sabres scored two goals apiece including Dawson Wirth, Zach Vockler and Gaven Marx as the Sabres (22-13-4-2) moved up two spots (thanks to Sheridan’s bye week) from fourth to second place with their 8-3 road win and weekend sweep over the #6 Gillette (WY) Wild (17-20-1-0). Christopher Lang scored in the first and Brady Johnson and Riley Schmidt racked up two second-period goals for the Wild. Sabres netminder Lochlin Jackson improved to 7-4-2-2 on the season as he accrued 26 saves over three regulation periods. Gillette’s Wylen Cambensy (2-4-0-0) gathered 23 saves in 39 minutes before being replaced by former Great Falls American netminder Karanveer Kooner, who made 13 stops in 20 minutes (Box Score).
Dan Upton of the #5 Bozeman Ice Dogs (20-14-1-1) scored the lone goal in the shootout to help his team claim a 6-5 victory over the #7 Butte Irish (15-21-1-2) during Saturday’s Frontier Division matchup in Bozeman, Montana. TJ Kelsey, Spencer Wilkinson, Sam Trufant, Devin Bruns, and Lex Steckelberg all scored in regulation for the Ice Dogs. Keegan Adams and Easton Langemo both scored twice, and Bobby Anselmo added one for the Irish. Baron Masopust, Spencer Wilkinson, and Andrew Kaunas participated in the shootout but failed to score for Bozeman. Andrew Browe, Loghan Weber, Kazden Stineff, and Keegan Adams all came away unsuccessful in their one-on-one shootout attempts for Butte. Brett DeVincent has a dozen victories (12-8-0-0) for the Ice Dogs as he swatted away 36 shots. Butte’s Nicolas Ulyanov is still looking for his first win (0-6-0-1) of the season after spending time with the Yellowstone (WY) Quake. Ulyanov allowed five regulation goals but still managed to block 38 shots (Box Score).
The #3 Sheridan (WY) Hawks (23-11-2-1) and the #8 Yellowstone (WY) Quake (1-27-1-0) have the weekend off.
NOTES: Masen Kerr, a forward/defenseman from Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin who is playing in his second season with the Americans, recently signed to continue his education and hockey career at Illinois State University (ACHA) in Normal, Illinois next fall. Congrats to Masen.
The University of Providence Argonaut men’s hockey team played prior to the Americans contest today against the Williston (ND) State Tetons and the Argos took care of business, winning 6-1. Former Great Falls American, Sam Duehlmeier is on the Argos roster as a freshman. The three-year defenseman from Calgary, Alberta, Canada registered 23 points (4 goals, 19 assists) and appeared in two Fraser Cup playoff games during the 2023-24 season as a member of the Americans
Don’t miss the Great Falls Americans Fan Activation through DASH for your chance to win one of three Valentine’s Day packages up for auction. Packages are now live through February 14th.
Package #1: 1 dozen Roses from Life In Bloom Floral and Gift Boutique, 1 box of chocolates, two VIP passes for the Valentine’s Night Game versus Helena, a Valentine’s Red Baldy Hoodie and some other Americans swag with a total value over $150.
Package #2: Skin care products and gift certificate for “Spring Break” Tan from She Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique, two VIP passes for the Valentine’s Night Game versus Helena, a Valentine’s Red Baldy Hoodie and some other Americans swag with a total value over $150.
Package #3: A pair of heart shaped Montana bee rib-eye steaks and some hamburger from Central Avenue Meats, two VIP passes for the Valentine’s Night Game versus Helena, a Valentine’s Red Baldy Hoodie and some other Americans swag with a total value over $150.
All surprises will be delivered in the Great Falls area to your special Valentine by Baldy on Valentine’s Day. Scan the QR code to activate your fandom and take advantage of this unique opportunity to surprise your special Valentine with a package made for them.
John Lang, a 6’0” forward from Fargo, North Dakota was awarded the NA3HL (3rd) Star of the Week in the Frontier Division for the week ending January 26, 2025, for his effort in the Americans 6-3 win over the Butte Irish in Butte, Montana on Friday night. He tallied two goals and one assist in the victory. Overall, this season, he has amassed 14 goals and 22 assists in 28 contests as a member of the Americans. Click here for the story.
Read about all the Americans hockey action in print through the Great Falls Gazette, a newspaper that is published on Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday each week with game recaps written by Kevin Scott, the Great Falls Americans Public Relations/Media Coordinator. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.
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, Zac Orwig, Cal Laggis and Blayne Jusczak. Click here to learn more about Blayne Jusczak 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.
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: Great Falls will face the #5 Bozeman Ice Dogs on the road in Bozeman, Montana on Sunday, February 2, 2025, with a 5:45PM (MST) start at Haynes Pavilion live on the NA3HL’s official streaming service, NAHLTV. Bozeman defeated the Americans 5-2 in their Wednesday night contest that took place at the Havre Ice Dome in Havre, Montana (game story).
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.