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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 40: October 10, 2024
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: First real road trip of the season and, once again, a learning experience was had. What did our team learn last weekend? That they need to play a full 60 minutes and can’t take a period off. The Frontier Division has proven to be very competitive this season and after a strong performance Friday night with a 5-1 win, our team took the first period off on Saturday and dug themselves a hole that they couldn’t quite dig themselves out of. Going into the 3rd period down 3-0, they played their best period of the season, got back to 3-2 down and had three or four great scoring chances late in the game that came up empty before giving up an empty net goal.
The staff still believes this is a championship caliber team once they become consistent and all four lines get rolling at the same time. One loss does not define a season – I have asked everyone to not get too high after a win or too low after a loss. The journey and how they play the game is more important, so it would be hypocritical for the staff to let this one loss impact the journey. There was a saying that former National Women’s Team Coach, Ben Smith, used during the 1998 Olympic Games that I believe is appropriate here (especially for a dairy farm kid from Wisconsin living in Montana): “You have to make hay when the sun shines”. With five straight home games and a bunch of games versus teams that we should match up with well, it is time to start establishing ourselves as a championship caliber team and last Saturday was a missed opportunity to separate ourselves from the rest of the pack.
A congrats does go out to Zach Orwig for earning Frontier Division “3rd Star of the Week” for his true hat trick on Friday night. For those not familiar with hockey, a “true” hat trick is when a player scores 3 consecutive goals and Zach completed his in 8 minutes and 19 seconds, including scoring two goals on the same shift on two consecutive shots against two different goalkeepers – not something you have likely ever seen before.
While the team was off in Sheridan last weekend, I stayed back and partnered with former 3-year player Aaron Leaf
to make an appearance at the 341st Airborne Division’s Oktoberfest on Malmstrom AFB. Events like this are an excellent opportunity to expose our program as a viable family entertainment option and engage with our military personnel. Several kids, and adults, took their chances at taking a shot to win prizes such as signed rally bandanas, pucks or game tickets.
Our players continued their commitment to Morningside Core Elementary School’s special Walk-a-Thon to raise money for updated playground equipment for the school. They attended the official awards ceremony on Wednesday afternoon and were provided an opportunity to speak to over 300 K-6 students and present a signed game puck and two tickets to an upcoming game to a student in each class who walked the most laps. It was a great opportunity for our young players to engage with the community and have a positive influence on the elementary school kids. Thanks to Kaden Rhyder, Garrett Driscoll, Ty O’Bey, Ty Brander and Patrick Forsythe for their willingness to participate and to Chelle Herbruger for coordinating this event with the school.
We host the Badlands Sabres this Friday and Saturday nights – 7:05 PM puck drop both nights. Friday is Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana night while Saturday will feature round two of our Gills Point S Tire and Auto tricycle races. We look forward to seeing all of you at the Ice Plex this weekend for a great weekend of hockey. Look for the Booster Club’s ever popular “Yeti Cooler and Meat” Raffle tickets on sale this weekend with three chances to win an amazing cooler package filled with Montana Meat from Central Avenue Meats.
I also would like to acknowledge the Cascade County 4-H Horse Judging Team who recently placed first in the 4-H Congress earning a trip to the national competition at the National Western Stock Show in Denver in January. The team is coached by billet mom, Laura Steichen, and Ginger Murphy and includes hockey player, figure skater and hockey official Leann Murphy on the team. Look for representatives from the winning team at some of our upcoming home games (including this Friday night) selling their raffle tickets raising funds for their trip to Nationals. For those who may not have been around last season, I am a 4-H graduate myself who parlayed my experiences there to become a collegiate All-American in Dairy Cattle Judging, so fully recognize the value of these types of activities and want to continue to support their efforts.
Finally, our special “Think Pink For the Girls” Breast Cancer Awareness night is just a little over two weeks away. During our game on October 25th, the ice will be painted pink, our team will be wearing special edition “Pink” jerseys and there will be a special figure skating exhibition by Emily and Liv from the Great Falls Figure Skating Club during the first intermission. There will be special baskets from Life in Bloom Floral and Gift Boutique and She Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique raffled off along with several other raffle items. The special edition jerseys (signed by the player) will then be auctioned off with all proceeds going to “Think Pink For the Girls”. The auction will start during the morning of the 25th and run through Sunday evening, November 3rd. Be sure to register with DASH (QR Code) and be ready to place your bid on your favorite player’s pink jersey for a great cause.
We will donate $1 for everyone in attendance that night (matched by City Chevrolet) and will also offer a special signed and framed 8”x10” team photo in the Pink Jerseys for sale. A very special thanks goes out to Benefis Health-Sletten Cancer Institute for making this all possible as our partner who has made this event possible. Let’s pack the Ice Plex for “Pink” Night!
Player Profile – #95 Garren Narvaez (Queens Creek, AZ) 6’1” 190 lbs. FOR – Shoots Left DOB 07/01/2005
Favorite Team: Arizona Coyotes Favorite Players: Lucas Raymond
Favorite Movie: Twister Actor/Actress: Ryan Reynolds
Favorite Food: Chicken Parmesan Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Chicken and Pasta
If you were an animal: Killer Whale – They can do it all!
Musical Group You Won’t Miss in Concert: Cold Play
Music Guaranteed to get you hyped: EVM-Rap Mix
Person stuck with on a deserted Island: Bear Grylls
Hobbies other than Hockey: Riding Dirt Bikes, Construction Work
Three People you would invite to Dinner: The Rock, Kevin Hart, Shane Gillis
College/University of Choice: Universities of Colorado, Alabama, Arizona
Like Most About Great Falls: The community is great!
How would you define a successful season: Team Success – I want to Win!
Here are the upcoming events for you to mark your calendars:
- 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.
- Friday and Saturday, October 18th and 19th – We host the Yellowstone Quake with a 7:05 puck drop on Friday and 3:35 PM puck drop on Saturday followed by the University of Providence versus Montana State game at 7:00 PM. The 18th we will welcome Great Falls Hospitals and Clinics as our presenting sponsor.
- Friday, October 25th – you won’t want to miss our special “Think Pink For the Girls” Breast Cancer Awareness night sponsored by Benefis Health – Sletten Cancer Center.
- Saturday, October 26th – Americans travel to Butte for one game, so mark your calendars and plan to join us at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official watch party.
- Saturday, November 2nd – “Try Hockey for Free” for all kids 4-9 years Two sessions will take place from 10:00-11:00 AM and then 1:30-2:30 PM. Interested families can register their kids at www.tryhockeyforfree.com.
- Saturday, November 2nd – Special Sled Hockey Exhibition between the Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation Athletes and many of our Great Falls Americans The exhibition is free to the public and will take place from 4:00 PM-5:30 PM prior to the University of Providence Game. Come on out and support these special athletes and see what Sled Hockey is all about.
- Sunday, November 3rd – “Think Pink For the Girls” Special Jersey Auction closes.
- November 22nd and 23rd – Military Appreciation Weekend as we host Bozeman (Friday) and Butte (Saturday) and recognize those who have served our country.
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* |
| Mountain Title Company* |
Thank you for being a part of our family!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com