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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 37: September 19, 2024
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: Two weeks into the season – time to share what we have learned about our team after a sweep of Bozeman over the weekend. We have a pretty good team that has speed, depth – especially at forward, strong goaltending and a little bit of a much-needed edge. We also learned that we have a lot of work to do and have no way come close to playing our best hockey. That is a good thing provided the team is willing to put in the work to get better each time they step on the ice. There were many moments of sloppiness and some simple breakdowns over the weekend that need to get cleaned up – we were fortunate that our skill, power play and goaltending was able to compensate for the mistakes.
Our next three games will be a healthy test as we play defending Frontier Division and Fraser Cup Champions Helena with two there and a home game this Saturday night. Helena has set the standard we strive to achieve and although they have a new team with only a handful of returners, they are still the team to beat, and our guys are excited for the challenge coming up the next two weeks. We hope to see you all at the Ice Plex this Saturday to witness what should be an exciting series.
Congratulations to Ty O’Bey for earning Frontier Division 3rd Star of the week for last week. I also want to thank Big Sky Harley-Davidson and our Booster Club for a successful raffle of over $700 of Harley products with the winning ticket going to William Martin from Bozeman. We have signed Rally Flags that were part of the bike rally last Saturday down 10th Avenue South plus some signed Rally Baldy Bandanas up for auction or purchase on our fan activation site through DASH (scan QR Code). They will be available until Sunday evening – don’t miss out on this opportunity to obtain some unique items.
Our next road game of the season is Friday night in Helena followed by a rematch with the Big Horns at the Ice Plex Saturday night. Buffalo
Wild Wings is hosting our official watch party for all away games, and they are excited to see our fans come out and watch while enjoying some great food, drink and hockey with other passionate fans.
I am delighted to announce our partnership with Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation continued with our first successful session of our Sled Hockey Program. Trevor, Izzy, Zale and Kevin joined us for this first session and our players did a great job of interacting and encouraging them to try new things. We are back at it at 5:00 tonight with Jordan joining us along with a few other new players. Thank you to Eagle Mount, their volunteers and all their athletes for allowing us to be a part of such a special activity. I know Zale’s mom mentioned that he was ready to go at 7:00 AM last Thursday – that type of enthusiasm is contagious and will also set a great example for our young players. Mark your calendars for November 2nd as we plan on doing an exhibition game between these sled players and our Americans players.
Player Profile – #8 Easton Kennedy (Detroit Lakes, MN) 5’9” 185 lbs. FOR – Shoots Left
Favorite Team: Edmonton Oilers Favorite Players: Connor McDavid
Favorite Movie: Grown Ups 2 Actor/Actress: Adam Sandler
Favorite Food: Pasta Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Pasta with Chicken
If you were an animal: An Eagle – so I can fly.
Musical Group You Won’t Miss in Concert: Zack Bryan
Music Guaranteed to get you hyped: Gunna or Rock Music
Person stuck with on a deserted Island: Kale Witt
Hobbies other than Hockey: Golf
Three People you would invite to Dinner: Wayne Gretzky, Connor McDavid, Michael Jordan
College/University of Choice: University of North Dakota
Like Most About Great Falls: The location and the atmosphere
How would you define a successful season: Top Team in the Division!
Here are the upcoming events for you to mark your calendars:
- Friday, September 20th 7:05 PM – official Americans Watch Party versus Helena at Buffalo Wild Wings in Great Falls.
- Saturday, September 21st is City Toyota Night as we host Fraser Cup Champion Helena at 7:05
- 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
- Saturday, September 28th 7:05 PM – PM – official Americans Watch Party versus Helena at Buffalo Wild Wings in Great Falls.
- Wednesday, October 2nd – “Eat Wings, Raise Funds” event takes place at Buffalo Wild Wings. Look for special coupons 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 You can pick up a special ticket for that night at our game Saturday night or from any Booster Club member.
- Friday, October 4th 4:00 PM-7:00 PM – we’ll be setting up at Malmstrom AFB for their OKTOBERFEST. This is a great opportunity for the Americans to interact with the Airmen and Women from Malmstrom and expose them to our great game while enjoying more great German Food, music and beer.
- Friday and Saturday, October 4th & 5th – the Americans travel to Sheridan for a two game set, so mark your calendars and plan to join us at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official watch party.
- Friday and Saturday, October 11th & 12th – We host the Badlands Sabres at the Ice Plex for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana Night on Friday and the 2nd of our Gills Point S Tire and Auto tricycle races on Saturday. 7:05 Puck Drop both nights.
Finally, I would like to remind all our partners that we are offering a new opportunity of hosting a corporate outing or special event during one of our home games. A specially priced ticket package will provide access to our VIP area during the game with dinner provided, a cash bar and a special area to host your guests while enjoying the game with colleagues, friends or family. The VIP package is designed to host all kinds of groups and we can accommodate up to 50 people. If interested, please reach out to me for more details and your requested dates so we can get your event locked in.
Thank you to all our existing Eagle’s Nest, Diamond and Platinum Level partners for their continued support.
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Look for our newest activations on DASH as we continue to provide new and unique items for our fan base. You can register for exciting opportunities at: https://fans.winwithdash.com/auctions/greatfallsamericans.
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!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com