 |
BALDY’S PUCK DROP Weekly E-Newsletter (September – August) |
 |
Baldy’s Puck Drop” Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Volume 65: April 3, 2025
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: Congratulations to the Louisiana Drillers for claiming the 2025 Fraser Cup Title as they defeated the
West Bend Power in the championship game on Sunday. Helena lost both of their games, 2-1 to the West Bend Power and 4-2 to the New Mexico Ice Wolves, so they did not qualify for the semi-finals. All- in-all, it was a successful season for the NA3HL.
During the Fraser Cup, the NAHL also conducts a player combine for 05 thru 09 birth year players. That gave Coach Sears and Coach Leaf an opportunity to watch (and coach on the bench) these future players and identify a few potential Americans. It also gives them an opportunity to network with other coaches/scouts and lay the groundwork for next season. The next league combine is in Columbus in a week, and both will be attending to continue the process and represent the Americans at the league’s Annual Owner’s Meeting as I will be in Europe during that time.
I am happy to announce three more tenders for next season. A tender is an informal commitment between the player and the team for the next season and it allows the team to protect the player during the draft and throughout the following season. Each season, we have roughly 12-15 tenders and it is a critical part of putting together the team for next season. The players who have signed tenders, so far, are:
|
Player |
Position |
Year |
Hometown |
2024-25 Team |
|
Reid Lezubski |
Forward |
2008 |
Chestermere, ALB |
Calgary Rockies U17 |
|
Logan Mese |
Forward |
2007 |
Kenai, AK |
KPHA Ice Hawks U18 |
|
Riley Hattan |
Forward |
2008 |
Kalamazoo, MI |
Biggby Coffee AAA 16U |
|
Easton Kennedy |
Forward |
2007 |
Detroit Lakes, MN |
GFA / Detroit Lakes HS |
You may recognize a few of the names. Logan Mese is the younger brother of Levi Mese who played 90 games with the Americans during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons where he accumulated 67 points. Riley Hattan is the younger brother of former American Goalkeeper (and current respected member of the GFPD), Zac Hattan, who played during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. Easton Kennedy is Aiden’s younger brother who accumulated 22 points in 16 games with the Americans over the past two seasons while working around his high school schedule. You may remember that Easton also tendered with Fairbanks of the NAHL while playing for us last Fall. He’ll be joining Fairbanks for the end of their season and will try to make their team next season, but if not, he will play HS Hockey again with the plan to play before and after his HS season with the Americans. Tendering with us also protects Easton from being drafted by another NA3HL team where he is not interested in playing.
A quick shout-out goes out to Kaden Rhyder who is currently skating with the Watertown Shamrocks of the NAHL. The Shamrocks are in their first year of the NAHL and are located in Watertown, South Dakota. They are currently in 7th place in the Central Division and have two weekends of games remaining in the regular season.
It is not too late to get your tickets for the Great Falls Sports Foundation Mixer on April 9th at the Exhibition Hall at Montana ExpoPark. This event is an annual event that raises funds to support athletic competitions that take place in Great Falls and supports a specific cause in Great Falls. This year, they have committed to donate half of the funds raised to the Ice Plex for continuing improvements. The event runs from 5:30 PM-8:00 PM and includes food, a No-Host Bar, silent auction, door prizes and games and features guest speaker, Bob Green, former head football coach at Montana Tech. It is a great night of fun and networking with fellow sports fans. Individual tickets are available for $25 or you can buy a table and a book of ten for $200. Contact Matt (MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com) if interested in attending to purchase your tickets.
Baldy’s Puck Drop will take a brief hiatus and will be back in early May. In the meantime, enjoy a wonderful Spring – hopefully the weather will cooperate.
Here are the upcoming events for you to mark your calendars:
- March 26th-30th – Fraser Cup Finals in Louis, MO.
- April 9th – Great Falls Sports Foundation Mixer at the Exhibition Hall at Montana 5:30- 8:00 PM with proceeds going towards the IcePlex for continued improvements. Contact Matt for individual tickets or a Table of 10.
- June 21-22 – Great Falls Americans Prospects
- August TBD – 3rd Annual Cornhole Extravaganza
- August 18th – Start of Great Falls Americans Pre-Season Main Camp!
- August 23rd – 3rd Annual Red/White Game 7:05 Ice
Thank you to all our existing Eagle’s Nest, Diamond and Platinum Level partners for their continued support.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
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 Work & Western Wear | Cascade Electric | Central Avenue Meats |
| Havre Youth Hockey* | Havre Ford* | Independence Bank-Havre* |
| Hotel Arvon-Celtic Cowboy | Central MT Lock & Safe | Century Gaming |
| High Plains Wealth Management* | Patrick Construction* | Shanty Bar-Havre* |
| 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* |
| Red;s Powersports* | Tilleman Motor Co.* | Valley Furniture* |
| 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* | |
| Morse Construction* | Creative Coffee/Yogurt* |
Thank you for being a part of our hockey family!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com