NOTE: A Special Thanks to Michael Noel (above, https://mnoelphotography.smugmug.com) for providing the photo.
By Kevin Scott
| Box Score |
Score Sheet | League Scoreboard | Americans Team Statistics |
BUTTE, Mont., January 11, 2025 — The #3 Great Falls Americans (21-10-2-0) and the #6 Butte Irish (15-16-1-1) met for the fifth time this season on Saturday in Butte, Montana with the Americans winning their season series, 3-1 so far with three more meetings left to play during the 2024-25 NA3HL regular season.
During the four meeting in which the Americans hosted the Irish in three of those contests, Great Falls has outscored them, 23-7 including a 7-0 shutout on New Year’s Eve in Great Falls (game story).
Both rivals are also set to play on January 24 and March 7 in Butte (7:30PM start times) and will close out the regular season with a March 8th date in Great Falls (7:05PM start time).
On Friday (January 10th), the Americans and the Irish started the weekend needing extra time to get by their Frontier Division opponents.
Great Falls let their 3-1 lead slip away in the third period as the #1 Helena Bighorns capitalized on some mistakes by Great Falls to even the game at the end of regulation and sent the contest to overtime where the Bighorns scored the winning goal with 16 seconds were left for the 5-4 win (game story).
Butte trailed 4-1 after two periods to the #5 Bozeman Ice Dogs but the Irish outscored Bozeman 4-1 in the tier frame to send it into overtime where both teams failed to score. In the shootout, only one player (Baron Masopust) for Bozeman scored against the Butte goaltender. Bozeman claimed a 6-5 win (Box Score).
The Great Falls Americans offense led in scoring by EJ Sanchez, John Lang, Masen Kerr, and Cooper Clouse turned away the Butte Irish, 4-2 during Saturday’s NA3HL junior hockey action at the Butte Community Ice Center.
Both teams combined for 18 shots and no power play opportunities as a scoreless tie occurred after the first stanza.
Great Falls native EJ Sanchez recorded his second goal as a member of the Americans during the second period. The goal by Sanchez came three minutes into the period with assists going to Chase Hapka and Masen Kerr to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. John Lang scored his twelfth goal with 63 seconds to go to increase the Americans advantage (2-0). Aiden Kennedy and Cooper Clouse were each credited with one assist each while Great Falls was on the power play. The Americans attempted twice (14-7) as many shots as Butte.
It took Butte almost 42 minutes of game time before they put in their first lamplighter. Irish forward Bobby Anselmo netted his eleventh goal to cut the lead in half. Andrew Browe added his 38th assist and teammate Sebaquien Chlud gathered his third assist for the host team. Matt Beazley and Gavin Denis each added a helper on Masen Kerr’s goal later in the period to give Great Falls a two-goal lead (3-1). Nathaniel Vocke pulled the Irish to within a goal (3-2) with his first goal as a member of the Irish with six minutes left in regulation with assistance from Keegan Adams and Loghan Weber. Cooper Clouse put the biscuit in the basket for the third time this year with 1:21 left to ensure the Americans 21st overall victory and seventh on the road.
Great Falls held a 39-27 advantage in the shots-on-goal category. The Americans combined for 29 shots after the first twenty minutes.
The Americans (1-for-5 on the power play) had just two minor penalties that occurred in the third period. Butte was whistled for seven penalties that resulted in 22 minutes spent off the ice. The home team scored one goal while the Americans were down a man (penalty).
The winning netminder was Kaden Rhyder, who now has 17 victories (17-6-1-0), allowed two third period scoring drives while producing 25 saves. Nicholas Ulyanov, a Beaverton, Oregon native, is still searching for his first victory after his second game with Butte. Ulyanov (0-1-0-1) made 35 saves after making his season debut against the Bozeman Ice Dogs on Friday where Butte fell 6-5 in a shootout.
FRONTIER DIVISION UPDATE: For the second straight night, the #2 Sheridan (WY) Hawks (22-9-2-0) held the #7 Gillette (WY) Wild (13-19-1-0) to just four goals as they picked up a 6-4 decision over their Wyoming opponents. Josh Serino scored two goals and added a helper to earn the weekend sweep for the Hawks. Brady Johnson of the Wild had a busy night scoring all four goals for the visitors in the loss. TJ Wonnacott improved to (9-2-2-0) with 29 saves for Sheridan. Austin Trieber fell for the sixth time in nine games (3-6-0-0) for the Wild. He amassed 33 saves (Box Score).
Dawson Wirth, Rylan Salo, and Rhylan Olson combined for six of the ten goals for the #4 Badlands (SD) Sabres (17-13-3-2) in their 10-0 dominating win over the #8 Yellowstone (WY) Quake (1-33-1-0) in Cody, Wyoming on Saturday. In the Sabres sweep, they outshot the Quake, 77-15. Lochlin Jackson got the start in the net on Saturday for Badlands. Jackson is 6-4-2-2 on the season as he redirected all 15 shots by the Quake. Quake netminders Nate Whitson and Matthew Neeser combined for 67 saves but Neeser took the loss (0-16-0-0) (Box Score).
The #1 Helena Bighorns (26-3-1-1) scored twice in the third period to escape with a 3-2 victory at home against the #5 Bozeman Ice Dogs (16-13-1-1) on Saturday inside Steed Arena. Each team added one goal before the second intermission and then Helena’s Kade Pareja and Jason Hammett racked up two third period goals. Helena led 3-1 until the final 12 seconds when Bozeman’s Baron Masopust put the puck between the pipes, but the rally came too late. Tyler Miller (9-2-1-0) accumulated 35 saves for the Bighorns. Brett DeVincent (33 saves) of the Ice Dogs fell to 9-7-0-0 overall this season (Box Score).
NOTES: 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 has six home games remaining (five of them will be at the Great Falls Ice Plex) throughout January, February, and March 2025. The Americans January 29th meeting with the Bozeman Ice Dogs will be held at the Havre Ice Dome in Havre, Montana. The #7 Gillette (WY) Wild will be in Great Falls on January 17-18 to challenge the Americans. Both games start at 7:05PM (MST) and can be streamed online at NAHLTV. Great Falls is 0-1-1-0 against the Wild this season.
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.