By 406 MT Sports Staff
January 29, 2022
The Helena Bighorns and Great Falls Americans battled to a split over the weekend as the Americans handed Helena just its third loss of the season on Friday night.
In their first of back-to-back meetings on Friday in Great Falls, Helena got a first-period goal from Samuel Feamster, which was his 34th of the season to give the Bighorns a 1-0 advantage.
In the second period, Great Falls ramped up its defense and blanked the Bighorns while getting goals from Jackson Henningsgard and Blake Nerney to take a 2-1 advantage. In the third, Micah Serino pitched in with another goal to push the lead to 3-1. Taber Gutschick scored to trim the deficit down to 3-2 but the Bighorns were unable to score the tying goal and the Americans hung on to win 3-2.
Will Simpson got the win in net for the Americans thanks to 40 saves. Gabe Swanson notched 26 saves and was hit with the loss.
On Saturday, Helena, the second-place team in the Frontier, enacted some revenge on third-place Great Falls as Tylor Greene scored in the opening stanza to give the Bighorns a lead they would build on in the second with goals from TJ Norris and Tyler Alldrege to make it 3-0.
Helena had a 3-to-1 advantage in terms of shots on goal but winning goaltender Eric Bucholz still notched a shutout and 16 saves. Zac Hattan had 50 saves for Great Falls in the loss and allowed three goals.
The Bighorns are now 33-3-2 on the season and are in second place with 68 points. The Gillette Wild are in first with 69 and Great Falls is third with 45.
Story Courtesy: 406 MT Sports: 406MTSports.com: Helena Bighorns, Great Falls Americans play to split over the weekend (January 29, 2022)