NOTE: Photo Courtesy of the Great Falls Americans. Family Appreciation Night Photos by Tim Ljunggren, Gentle Thug Media
By Kevin Scott
| Box Score |
Score Sheet | League Scoreboard | Americans Team Statistics |
GREAT FALLS, Mont., March 8, 2025 — After 47 regular season games in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL), this is the last game of the year for the teams that don’t qualify for the playoffs next week.
There are three games (none in the Frontier Division) that will finish their season on Sunday, March 9th but most of the squads in the five-division North American 3 Hockey League ended their regular season on Saturday.
During Friday’s last road trip to Butte, Montana, the Americans trio of Aiden Kennedy, Ty O’Bey and Garren Narvaez combined for four of the Americans six goals as they defeated the #6 Butte Irish (19-24-1-3), 6-3 at the Butte Community Ice Center in Butte, Montana. The win helped solidify a spot in the playoffs next week as three teams in the Frontier Division each had 55 points with only two spots available for postseason play. Bobby Anselmo, Toby Kerr and Zachary Nimetz recorded the three goals for the Irish as they will not be going to the playoffs this year (game story).
The Americans (27-14-4-2, 60 pts.) finished in third place behind the #1 Helena Bighorns (41-4-1-1, 84 pts.) and the #2 Sheridan (WY) Hawks (28-15-3-1, 60 pts.). The Americans won over half (15) of their 26 games in front of the home spectators at the Great Falls Ice Plex this season. During the 2023-24 season, Great Falls went 22-23-0-2 during the regular season.
The #3 Great Falls American had nothing to lose as prior to Saturday’s contest they had already clinched one of the four playoff spots in next week’s NA3HL Frontier Division semifinals. Great Falls outshot Butte 64-30 and came away with a 4-2 decision over the Butte Irish in the 2024-25 NA3HL regular season finale on Saturday night at the Great Falls Ice Plex.
Jayden Rogen, one of nine players finishing out his junior hockey career for the Americans, lit up the lamp eight minutes into the first period for the early lead. EJ Sanchez and Cal Laggis collected the assists. Easton Langemo recorded his 35th goal off the stick of Bobby Anselmo and Kazen Stineff minutes after the Americans scored to even the game at 1-1. Great Falls took twice as many shots (24-12) as the visitors.
The home team added two more goals in the second period as Chase Hapka and Zac Orwig each put the puck in the net. Cooper Clouse assisted on both goals while Gavin Denis also earned an assisted on Hapka’s score and Chase Hapka made the secondary assist on Orwig’s scoring drive. Zachary Pilkinton scored while Easton Langemo and Bobby Anselmo set up the Irish’s second goal.
Two minutes into the third frame is when Garren Narvaez produced his fifteenth goal of the season with helpers coming from Aiden Kennedy and Zac Orwig. The goal proved to be the only successful scoring drive from either team in the final period.
The Americans offensive attack helped earn them the sweep over their Montana rivals by compiling 64 shots-on-goal including 46 before the third period. Butte ended their final contest of the season by acquiring 30 shots.
Both teams were whistled for a combined 18 penalties with 123 total minutes spent off the ice. Easton Langemo’s first period score came with the Americans in the penalty box as they ended the game by going 1-for-7 on the power play. Great Falls failed to score on their three opportunities.
Isaiah Paulnock from Eden Prairie, Minnesota was the goaltender for the Americans tonight. In 60 minutes of action, he gathered 28 saves for his first win as the Americans netminder (1-0-0-1) in three appearances. Logan Hunter concluded his season with Butte with three wins, five regulation losses and one shootout loss. The Colorado native created 60 saves in 60 minutes.
NEXT CONTEST: Great Falls begins postseason play next week after securing the third seed in the four-team 2025 NA3HL Frontier Divisional Semi-Finals with a 27-14-4-2 record in 47 regular season contests. The Americans will challenge the #2 Sheridan (WY) Hawks (28-15-3-1) beginning Thursday, March 13th when they travel to Sheridan, Wyoming with the puck set to drop at 6:30PM (MST) in Game 1 of the best-of-three series at Whitney Rink in the M&M’s Center. The second game will be at the Great Falls Ice Plex on Friday, March 14th at 7:05PM (MST). Game Three (if necessary) would also be played in Sheridan on Sunday, March 16th at 1:00PM (MST). All games can be streamed online at NAHLTV. Fans should get their tickets early as the team expects a sell-out crowd. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here.
In the other semifinal, #1 Helena Bighorns (41-4-1-1) plays host to the #4 Badlands (SD) Sabres (25-15-4-3) in a best-of-three series. The Sabres earned their way by topping the #2 Sheridan (WY) Hawks, 5-0 in Rapid City, South Dakota on Saturday while the Bighorns turned away the previous #4 Bozeman Ice Dogs, 6-1 and sent them home for the season. Badlands will host the Bighorns for Game 1 on Wednesday, March 12th in Rapid City, South Dakota. After a travel day on Thursday, both teams will square off inside Steed Arena in Helena, Montana when the Bighorns will host Game 2 on Friday, March 14th. If a third game is necessary, Helena will serve as the home team on Saturday, March 15th. All three games start at 7:05PM (MST).
FRONTIER DIVISION UPDATE: In order for Bozeman Ice Dogs (26-18-2-1) to qualify for the playoffs and keep their #4 seed, they needed to defeat the top-ranked Helena Bighorns (41-4-1-1) in Bozeman, Montana and hope the Badlands (SD) Sabres would fall to the #2 Sheridan (WY) Hawks. Hunter Coulombe scored two goals while G’bari Mayers, Colin Becker, Caden Feinstein and Austin Uecker each scored once to give the Bighorns the easy 6-1 road win at Haynes Pavilion in Bozeman, Montana on Saturday. Helena’s offense allowed one third period goal as #5 Bozeman’s Tyler Klingbeil prevented the shutout in their season finale. Branson Appelman’s only blemish in the net was a third period score by Bozeman. He accrued 38 saves to improve his record to 14-2-0-0. Brett DeVincent of the Ice Dogs played the first two periods and made 30 saves but gave up five goals. He was replaced by backup Isaac Weatherford who created 17 saves. DeVincent was credited with the season ending loss (15-11-1-0) (Box Score).
The #4 Badlands (SD) Sabres (25-15-4-3) started the weekend needing two victories over the #2 Sheridan Hawks (28-15-3-1) at home and they did just that. After needing overtime to escape with a 2-1 win over the Hawks, the Sabres scored two goals each in the final two periods for the 5-0 shutout victory. Ryan Jordan and Zach Vockler each contributed two goals apiece and Thayne Coston added another score for the playoff bound Sabres. Badlands goaltender Jackson Roethler (6-5-0-1) outperformed his counterpart from Sheridan, Francesco Sciabbarrasi (23 saves), by stopping all 27 shots to lead his team to the postseason. Sciabbarrasi suffered his first setback (2-1-0-0) in four games for Sheridan (Box Score).
The question of the night was could the #8 Yellowstone (WY) Quake (1-45-1-0) finish their season on a positive note? The #7 Gillette (WY) Wild (20-26-1-0) stood in the way and handed the Quake a 3-0 loss and prevented the Cody, Wyoming based NA3HL franchise from getting a second win this year. Dantae Hunziker scored in the first and Beau Delich and Riley Schmidt each got the puck by Yellowstone netminder Chase Ebeyer. Dylan Peterson assisted on all three scoring drives as both teams failed to make the playoffs. Both teams combined for 16 missed power play chances and committed 30 penalties that resulted in each team getting over 70 minutes of penalty time. Wylen Cambensy (34 saves) finished the season with four victories and six regulation losses. Chase Ebeyer spent time with the Binghamton Buzz (6-3-0-0) before coming over to the Yellowstone Quake where he went winless in ten games (Box Score).
NOTES: Great Falls said goodbye to nine members of the 2024-25 team as they age out during a ceremony at intermission as they played in their final regular season contest with the Americans on Saturday (Chase Hapka, Jayden Rogen, Zac Orwig, Matt Beazley, Sebe Perez, Masen Kerr, Garrett Driscoll, John Lang, and Cal Laggis). Masen Kerr (Illinois State University), Garrett Driscoll (Western Michigan University) and John Lang (University of Mary) have signed on (so far) to play at the college level next season. We thank them for their contributions to Americans hockey.
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| Chase Hapka | Jayden Rogen | Zac Orwig | Matt Beazley | Sebe Perez | Masen Kerr | Garrett Driscoll | John Lang | Cal Laggis |
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: The Americans will conclude the regular season by hosting the Butte Irish on Saturday, March 8th with the puck dropping at 7:05PM (MST) at the Great Falls Ice Plex. The game will serve as the Billet Family Appreciation Night where the host families will gather between one of the periods to be recognized with their host player(s). NAHLTV will have the regular season finale live on their official streaming service.
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.