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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 42: October 24, 2024
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: There is an old saying that “you can only play who is on your schedule” and that certainly applied to last weekend. We were the last team in our division to play Yellowstone, so the standings are now a truer reflection of where everyone stands in the league. We are a quarter of the way through the season sitting in 2nd place in our division, after playing one of the tougher schedules in the league and holding a seven-game home winning streak. Taking care of business at home was one of our pre-season goals and is something this squad should take a ton of pride in.
A little info on the standard the league has set for those who may be asking how does Yellowstone get away with not fielding a competitive team? Based on their record last season, they are currently on probation and need to make the minimum league standard in wins (5) to avoid being declared dormant for one season to be able to regroup. Every franchise goes through some down times, and this is one of those times for Yellowstone and it is a difficult challenge to work your way out of a bad situation as there tends to be a snowball effect with players and coaches – I believe they have had eight different coaches the last seven seasons. We obviously want them to be successful because they have been in the past and it is good for our division to have eight balanced teams that can win on any given night.
With that being said, time to appreciate our own coach Greg Sears and congratulate him on coaching his 300th game for the Great Falls
Americans last Saturday night. Stability is a huge part of any potential success and the 173 GFA wins and the 36 players who have advanced to college hockey under Greg’s tenure is unique in this business. Greg and his family have made Great Falls their home and we are lucky to have an experienced and loyal coach who is in the business because of a passion for the game and the desire to mold these young men into successful individuals both on and off the ice.
One highlight from the weekend is the fact we had 11 different players scoring goals in the two games with four players earning their first goal as Americans. Gavin Denis, Ty Brander and two of the youngest players in the league, EJ Sanchez and Carson Sears all scored their first Junior goals this weekend. We are especially pleased to see Ty get his first goal in his 52nd game – but let’s be fair and acknowledge he is a smart stay-at-home defenseman who isn’t here to score goals and brings a style of play and leadership that all our players can learn from. And, if you haven’t seen the feature KRTV recently did on our four local players, be sure to check out this link (MTN SPORTS (KRTV): HOMETOWN CONNECTION: AMERICANS HOCKEY TEAM HAS FOUR PLAYERS FROM GREAT FALL – GREAT FALLS AMERICANS) and take a look. A special thanks to Will Charlton from MTN Sports for putting together the piece
A congrats go out to forward Zac Orwig for earning Frontier Division “3rd Star of the Week” for the 2nd time this season. Zac tallied 4 goals and 5 assists on the weekend as his line with Garren Narvaez and Easton Kennedy tallied 8 goals and 14 assists in the two games. This is the 5th time one of our players has been recognized in the first seven weeks of the season, not to mention the three times we have had players recognized with top goals of the week from throughout the entire league. Be sure to follow the NA3HL on social media to ensure you are not missing any of the special recognition by the league that our players are receiving for their on-ice play.
I want to take a quick minute to thank a few people for also helping us salvage Saturday’s game behind the scenes. The hydraulic system on the Zamboni blew a hose after our game on Friday night and it required several people to step up to get things up and running to be able to play our double-header on Saturday with UP. Aaron Leaf plus Trevor and Weston Haynes were at the rink until about 1:00 AM Friday night and they were joined by Ryan Smith at 8:00 AM Saturday morning to find a way to get the Zamboni fixed and operating about an hour before our game. These types of things happen on a regular basis at every rink (i.e. the power outage a few weeks back that prompted the ice chillers to malfunction) and there are always staff and volunteers that work diligently behind the scenes and often go unnoticed by players, coaches and fans. I’ll just add that you generally don’t find Zamboni parts at your local auto parts store, so a lot of times they must get creative to make the fix.
Our special “Think Pink For the Girls” Breast Cancer Awareness game has finally arrived and our guys are excited to play well in their special
jerseys. This night would not be possible without the support of the Benefis- Sletten Cancer Institute and we will have our captains, with Baldy, making an appearance at the Sletten Cancer Institute this morning for some photos and a short video to push out through social media channels. I realize our game is taking place at the same time as the Cross-Town HS Football festivities and it is tough to compete with a raffle where City Motors is giving away a car – but I feel strongly this is also a good cause and hope the community is willing to support both. Much like the support given to the school district through their raffle, most everyone has had someone in their life affected by breast (or any other form of) cancer.
I am delighted that we have partnered with “Think Pink For the Girls” – a local Breast Cancer Support Group – to create breast cancer awareness and also fundraise to support their efforts. The Americans will donate one dollar for everyone in attendance and that donation 
will be matched by City Motor Company. The “Think Pink for the Girls” Committee (comprised of Tammy Comer, Joy Ostberg, Kristen Ostberg and Patty Toren) will also be conducting a raffle with your chance to win several nice prizes, including from our partners “Life in Bloom Floral and Gift Boutique” and “She Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique”. Whereas I have been fortunate to not have any women from my immediate family battle breast cancer, there have been several of my closest friends in the officiating world who have battled this terrible disease and have won. I am guessing most of you reading this Newsletter have also been impacted in some way, so this special event for me is just a small way we can contribute to helping others either avoid and/or win their battle against breast cancer. Don’t forget to dress warm, wear pink and let’s be sure to “Pack the IcePlex”, buy some raffle tickets and cheer on the Americans this Friday.
Saturday finds us heading back to Butte in our newly wrapped team bus for the first time for a 7:30 puck drop before we get a weekend off. We plan on wearing our Pink Jerseys in Butte, as well. Some of our players will be able to head home and get a break from the grind for a few days – only after we take care of business this weekend, put in a solid week of practice and enjoy our annual team Halloween party hosted by Bob and Wendy Dick . Plan on stopping by Buffalo Wild Wings for our official watch party on Friday night!
In addition to what is mentioned above, 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 Weaver and Liv Perry from the Great Falls Figure Skating Club during the first intermission. 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 also offer a special signed and framed 8”x10” team photo taken after the game for sale on DASH. This special edition photo will only be available for a limited time from Friday evening through next Sunday.
Let’s Pack the Ice Plex for “Pink” Night!
Player Profile – #23 John Lang (Fargo, ND) 6’0” 185 lbs. FOR – Shoots Left DOB 10/06/2004
Favorite Team: Detroit Red Wings Favorite Players: Pavel Datsyuk
Favorite Movie: Short Game Actor/Actress: Adam Sandler
Favorite Food: Wings Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Pasta
If you were an animal: Peregrine Falcon – diving speed is up to 240 MPH.
Musical Group You Won’t Miss in Concert: Gunna
Music Guaranteed to get you hyped: Rap or EDM
Person stuck with on a deserted Island: Luke Nichols
Hobbies other than Hockey: Golfing, Hunting, Fishing
Three People you would invite to Dinner: Donald Trump, Jennifer Aniston, Margot Robbie
College/University of Choice: University of North Dakota
Like Most About Great Falls: My billet family’s hot tub!
How would you define a successful season: A long playoff run!
Here are the upcoming events for you to mark your calendars:
- 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 8th and 9th – We travel to Gillette for two games – join other passionate fans at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official watch party.
- Friday, November 15th – Home versus Bozeman at 7:05
- Saturday, November 16th – Road game versus Helena at 7:05
- 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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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