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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 35: September 5, 2024
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: Here we go! Check out the “Are You Ready” video ARE YOU READY FOR SOME HOCKEY, GREAT FALLS??? – GREAT FALLS AMERICANS and tell me you are not itching to be at the rink this weekend for our exciting open to the season! Season tickets and individual game tickets are on sale at www.greatfallsamericans.com and our players are ready to get this season started. They have had one week of camp, two weeks of practices, meetings and workouts, a team camping adventure in Lincoln (Special thanks to Dave and Cathy Covert for hosting) – they are ready to see an opponent.
We also have some exciting activities taking place this weekend. On Friday, the first 100 fans will receive a Vuvuzela as our players and staff last season all indicated they wanted some more noise from our fans. Figured it was best to provide the resources to do so.
On Saturday, the Booster Club Tailgate Party takes place prior to our 7:05 PM game versus Sheridan. The band “After Five” will be performing live out back of the rink with the Booster Club providing food and drinks available for purchase. The festivities begin at 5:00 PM and will last until game time – all are welcome to attend. Come on out and enjoy a great Fall evening while they last.
I’d like to take a minute or two to fill you in on some of the goings on at the Ice Plex over the summer. The rink has a new management team, Aaron Leaf as Rink Manager and Helena Harper is handling all the admin. The two of them, along with Ice Plex Foundation President and billet dad, Ryan Smith, plus Vice President and billet mom, Pam Stanczak and a few other staff and volunteers have done an amazing job continuing to improve the rink.
First and foremost, a considerable effort was made to level the sand flooring and remove some contaminated sand (left over paint from 
previous ice melts) which should help in efficiency of the cooling system and make for the best ice in Montana.
Secondly, the Ice Plex is introducing Curling this season, so you will notice new markings on the ice and equipment outside the Zamboni room. Curling gets kicked off on Sunday night with the first of four “Learn to Curl” Sessions taking place. It is not too late to register to give it a try by going to the Ice Plex web site: https://www.greatfallsiceplex.com/curling That will be followed by a recreational league starting up in October.
Other things you will notice are new yellow kick plates and a whole new set of dasher ads that are protected by 1/6” of polycarbonate. We have built a new platform behind the bleachers for the live streaming of our games – providing a better angle and better experience for those watching on NAHLTV. They continue to try to clean a few things up and organize better, as well. All will result in a brighter and cleaner looking ice rink that should also better handle the wear and tear of a normal hockey season that provides overall better value to our partners and a better experience for our fans at the rink and watching at home. Thank you to our Ice Plex staff and all the volunteers that put in countless hours over the summer to make our home a little more homely.
Look for new ‘game day” yard signs sprinkled throughout our area as our amazing billet families have agreed to put them out on game days as a reminder to everyone driving by that the Americans are at home, so come on out to the Ice Plex to support our team. You will earn more about these billet families throughout the season.
We have officially started our new season with a brand-new fan activation through DASH. We are
auctioning off authentic dressing room stalls from our dressing room with personalized nameplates. You can purchase an individual stall, or you can purchase all three. The auction will be running the next few weeks, so check it out using the QR code and look for more very special items to be available throughout the season. There will also be some special activations in the coming week, specifically related to our biker night adventure and we also plan to add a unique ‘bench experience” for our remaining home games. The fan activation platform is designed to provide our fans a chance to continue to support our players in unique ways, obtain some special team items, engage with our players in unique ways, provide opportunities for our players to engage with our community and create a more fun experience for them and – full disclosure – generate some additional revenue that helps us offset their tuition costs and provide more resources to support their success on and off the ice. Please take a few minutes to check out the Dash activation site – select the Americans as your favorite team – and stay tuned for numerous opportunities to engage and support our players as we compete for a Frontier Division title and the Fraser Cup.
Player Profile – #21 Blayne Jusczak (North Pole, AK) 6’2” 185 lbs. FOR – Shoots Left
Favorite Team: St. Louis Blues Favorite Player: Colton Parayko
Favorite Movie: Back to the Future Actor/Actress: Leonardo DiCaprio
Favorite Food: White Chicken Chili Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Ham & Swiss Sandwich
If you were an animal: A Grizzly Bear – because they are big
Musical Group You Won’t Miss in Concert: Jon Pardi
Music Guaranteed to get you hyped: Rap / Hip-Hop
Person stuck with on a deserted Island: My Best Friend
Hobbies other than Hockey: Golf
Three People you would invite to Dinner: Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Patrick Roy
College/University of Choice: University of Alaska-Fairbanks
Like Most About Great Falls: The people are all super nice and the golf courses.
How would you define a successful season: A Fraser Cup!.
Here are the upcoming events for you to mark your calendars:
- Monday, September 9th we open up our pre-season youth “Skills and Drills” sessions running for two Our players and staff have partnered with University of Providence to provide these high-intensity skills based practices for about 40 youth players of all ages.
- Thursday, September 12th 2:00-5:00 PM Americans Meet and Greet at Big Sky Harley-Davidson!
- Thursday, September 12th, we also launch our Sled Hockey Program in partnership with Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation. The ice session starts at 5:00 PM and will involve our players working with these athletes to hone their skills and enjoy the sport. These will run the next three Thursdays before we get into a slightly different schedule in We can always use volunteers to assist with equipment and getting players on and off the ice, if available.
- Saturday, September 14th 7:05 PM versus Bozeman. Harley- Davidson Biker Night presented by Big Sky Harley. Special Booster Club raffle drawn during 2nd Raffle tickets are now available at Big Sky Harley-Davidson and from any Booster Club member. If you are a bike owner, plan on meeting at Big Sky Harley at 5:00 on the 14th and join other passionate riders – and soon to be Americans supporters – caravaning down 10th Ave S. to the Ice Plex for the game. Look for some special Americans’ Baldy flags used during the ride to go up for auction, as well, in addition to Baldy bandanas.
- Saturday, September 21st is City Toyota Night as we host Fraser Cup Champion Helena at 7:05 PM.
- Friday, September 27th – we will be participating in a Block Party OKTOBERFEST with Annie’s Taphouse, the Kellergeist and Tracy’s Family Restaurant. 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 and be exposed to the community.
- Wednesday, October 2nd – “Eat Wings, Raise Funds” event takes place at Buffalo Wild In the coming weeks, we will have special coupons to hand out at games 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.
A Special Thanks to Rebecca Engum (Great Falls Tourism CEO) and Shannon Newth (Great Falls Tourism Content Director) for having the GF Americans Head Coach Greg Sears and goaltender Kaden Rhyder on their “We’re No Dam Experts” Podcast. You can link and listen to the podcast from our website or the visitgreatfallsmontana.org website.
Thanks also to Greg and Kaden for representing us with knowledge humor and fighting spirit!
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* |
Thank you for being a part of our family and let’s get this season started!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com