NOTE: A Special Thanks to Dustin Bauer for providing the photos.
By Kevin Scott
| Box Score | Game Sheet | League Scoreboard | Americans Team Statistics |
GREAT FALLS, Mont., October 14, 2022 — The #3 Great Falls Americans (5-4-0-0) looked for another home sweep this weekend when the eighth-ranked Yellowstone (WY) Quake (2-7-0-0) were in town for the final time in Great Falls in the regular season after coming to Montana three weeks ago to face the Americans. Both squads were playing in their third week of the season.
Last weekend, October 7-8, Great Falls and Butte Cobras played at each other’s venues where the Americans topped the Cobras in two games. On Friday, Great Falls and Butte were tied at 3-3 at the Great Falls Ice Plex after three periods before Great Falls scored the game-winning goal 28 seconds in to claim a 4-3 victory (game story) and on Saturday in Butte, the visitors led 3-2 after two periods and prevented the Cobra comeback attempt by scoring one goal in the third for a 4-3 regulation victory (game story).
Yellowstone wiped away a two-goal American lead and outscored the home team, 3-0 in the final twelve minutes in the 3-2 comeback win for the Wyoming club back on September 23rd (game story) but the Americans earned redemption when they throttled the Quake, 6-1 on September 24th to earn the weekend split over their Wyoming rivals (game story).
Would Great Falls or Butte go up 2-1 in the season series after Friday’s performance?
A pair of goals by Noah Osiowy and William Fallman in the second period was all that was needed as the third-ranked Great Falls Americans earned their first shutout victory of the season by posting a 2-0 win over the #8 Yellowstone (WY) Quake during Friday night junior hockey action at the Great Falls Ice Plex. Josh Koziol was spectacular in the net with 55 saves. Great Falls is now 2-1-0-0 against Yellowstone so far this season.
Great Falls and Yellowstone combined for 35 shots-on-goal during the scoreless first period.
The Americans took 1:38 off the clock during the start of the second period before they netted their first scoring opportunity. Medicine Hat, Alberta native Noah Osiowy scored his second goal (his first goal with the Americans occurred in the first contest of the year against Butte on September 10th) with assist from William Fallman, who gathered his fourth assist and Dawson Bunch, who recorded his second. After assisting on the first score, William Fallman accumulated his fifth score seven minutes later when Alex Leaf and Jace Thompson helped him light up the lamp. The 2-0 advantage came while the Quake were down a man (penalty). Leaf currently leads the team in assists with eleven. Great Falls went 1-for-2 on the power play while accruing 14 shots in the middle period. Yellowstone had 12 of their 34 shots and four minor infractions during the second stanza.
Both defenses prevented the opposing offenses from gathering any goals in the third period.
Great Falls won their fifth game despite getting outshot 55-33 including 21-6 in the final frame.
William Fallman (1 goal, 1 assist) and netminder Josh Koziol stopped all 55 shots led the way for the home team.
Nine minor penalties were issued between both NA3HL clubs tonight. Great Falls scored on one of their five power play chances while the Americans defense denied the Quake on their four attempts.
Great Falls goalie Josh Koziol had one of his better performances of the year for the Americans. Koziol, in his first season with Great Falls, was brilliant in the net by swatting away all 55 shots created by the Quake and now has four wins in seven appearances.
Meanwhile, Edvin Falkenstrom, one of just two returning Quake players off last year’s 13-31-3-0 squad, kept the puck out of the net in the first and third periods but allowed two goals get by him in the middle period. The Sweden sensation (1-4-0-0) completed his night with 31 saves.
NOTES: The Great Falls Community Ice Foundation (GFCIF) invites you to enjoy some delicious pizza from MOD Pizza (1125 10th Avenue South) on Halloween (October 31, 2022) from 10:30AM until 10:00PM with 20% of all the proceeds going towards the Great Falls Ice Plex.
Facebook Event Information: Halloween pizza fundraiser | Facebook
If dining in at the store, please used promotional code, MODF14051 when completing your order with the cashier. Fans can order online through the MOD App or MOD website and use the promotional code MODF14051 before completing their transaction.
GF AMERICANS PHOTOS: Be sure to check out all the 2022-23 Great Falls Americans photos on our website throughout the season. Dustin Bauer, Greg Sears, Kandi Rasmussen, and others have taken on and off the ice. Check them out by clicking here.
FRONTIER DIVISION UPDATE: The Helena Bighorns, the top team in the Frontier Division, with a 10-1-0-0 record continued their dominance by posting their fifth shutout of the season on Friday night in Helena, Montana. Helena scored six goals over the visiting #7 Badlands (SD) Sabres (2-7-0-0). Six different Bighorn players earned goals (box score). Helena outshot the Sabres, 83-37 with 60 coming before the third stanza.
The #2 Gillette (WY) Wild (7-1-0-1) maintained second place in the Frontier Division by erupting for eleven goals on their way to crushing the #5 Sheridan (WY) Hawks (3-5-1-0), 11-2 in Sheridan, Wyoming in a battle of the rivals from Wyoming. Anthony Foster and Todd Powassin each produced two goals while Jake Turek won his second contest this season after completing the 2021-22 season with 21 victories in 27 games for head coach Ethan Hayes, who was a member of the Great Falls Americans coaching staff during the 2019-20 season (box score). Josh Humphreys led the Hawks with one goal and one assist and goalie Jack Wood acquired 40 saves in his third loss in four games.
The Bozeman Ice Dogs and the Butte Cobras had the night off, but they will both play on Saturday, October 15th when Bozeman travels to Butte for a single contest.
NEXT CONTEST: Great Falls continues their nine-game October schedule (including seven at the Great Falls Ice Plex) with another showdown against the Yellowstone (WY) Quake on Saturday, October 15 at 7:30PM (MST) in Great Falls. The Americans finish off October with a doubleheader at home against the Gillette (WY) Wild (Oct. 21-22) and against the Badlands (SD) Sabres (Oct. 28-29). Catch the Americans games (home and away) on HockeyTV.
Additional Media Coverage: October 12, 2022: 560AM-KMON: Weekly Radio Interview by KMON’s Randy Bogden with Great Falls Americans Head Coach Greg Sears every Wednesday morning. Click here to listen to the full interviews.