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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 47: November 28, 2024
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family! There is a lot to cover this week, so I’ll start with a quick recap from last weekend’s games. Two very workmanlike wins; 5-2 over Bozeman on Friday night and 7-1 over Butte on Saturday. Really not too much to talk about as our team did their jobs, played with confidence and handled two teams they are supposed to be able to handle while extending our home winning streak to eleven games. Kaden Rhyder picked up Friday’s win in goal while Patrick Forsythe handled goalkeeper duties on Saturday. We would like to thank the Malmstrom Color Guard for joining us both nights as we recognized our military personnel.
Congrats to John Lang for earning 2nd Star of the Week for the NA3HL Frontier Division after accumulating 5
goals and 2 assists over the weekend. That leaves John with 19 points (9 goals and 10 assists) through 14 games since joining us in early October. We also want to congratulate future Great Falls Americans member Duke Pingrey for breaking the National Federation of High Schools career saves record last week. Duke has been to our camps the last year and has also practiced with us for a few weeks the last two seasons when his schedule permitted. Duke plays for Rampart High School in Colorado Springs (Blake Komrofske’s Alma Mater) and broke the career record of 2237 saves with a 59 save performance versus Steamboat Springs on November 16th. Duke has averaged over 40 saves per game during his 3 + year High School career and looks forward to earning his spot with the Americans next season.
This weekend we host the Sheridan Hawks in a battle for second place. They are currently three points ahead (with GFA having one game in hand) and the importance of this weekend gets somewhat magnified with the position standings being frozen for the purpose for the Showcase scheduling after league games on Sunday. The league uses a formula to match up teams in like positions from the different divisions to play each other at the Showcase in a couple of weeks. Being the 2nd team in the Frontier Division would allow us to play the top teams from the other divisions, which is what we want. I can’t speak for other teams, but we want the challenge of playing the top teams to best be able to showcase our players to college and NAHL scouts, but also to best prepare us for playoff action in March. The Showcase schedule will be released on the 4th, so should be able to provide you with our schedule in next week’s edition.
Saturday night, we will be promoting Mental Health Awareness at our game as my own personal experiences the last two years has emphasized the importance of taking care of all aspects of our health – including our mental and emotional well-being. I have mentioned before our commitment to support our players with our Life Coach, Shawn Hayes, and access to mental health professionals and feel it is important to take this opportunity to help with awareness throughout our community. Montana has a high rate of mental health related deaths and the highest suicide rate in the U.S. over the last three years. We will recognize “Voices of Hope” and their crisis hotline as part of the activities and will also have fliers from Open Door Wellness Center to distribute. It may not seem like a big deal, but our “Minds do matter – so let’s be sure to take care of them”.
The other special activity this weekend is we will be accepting non-perishable food items on behalf of the Great Falls Food Bank. Fans are encouraged to come out to the game and bring a non-perishable item to drop in the barrel to receive $1 off their game ticket. Already have tickets – still bring some items to donate to a great cause as the Food Bank is always in need of items to be able to provide holiday meals to those in need.
Last Thursday, our squad continued their community involvement as they unloaded Christmas Trees for
the Great Falls Uptown Optimist Club annual Christmas Tree sale. The team unloaded and set-up a semi full of fresh cut Christmas Trees of all shapes and sizes, plus some Christmas wreaths, at the Expo Center as the Optimist Club will be selling to the public for the next several weeks. The tree sale starts at 9:00 AM on Friday the 29th and they will remain open until about 8:00 PM each day until sold out. The Uptown Optimist Club has been selling Christmas Trees for over 30 years as their biggest fundraiser collecting over $20,000 to be used to support Big Brothers-Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Club, Alliance for Youth, and several activities that help children in the community. The Americans are happy to help, and we encourage all our fans to support the work of the Optimist Club if in need of a Christmas Tree or Wreath!
Player Profile – #3 Jurzy Drake Ace Allard (Calgary, ALB) 5’11” 160 lbs. DEF– Shoots Right DOB 10/30/2006
Favorite Team: Colorado Avalanche Favorite Player: Lane Hutson
Favorite Movie: Good Will Hunting Actor/Actress: Matthew McConaughey
Favorite Food: Chicken Wings Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Pasta & Chicken
If you were an animal: Bald Eagle – Because I could fly and travel the World!
Musical Group You Won’t Miss in Concert: Luke Combs
Music Guaranteed to get you hyped: Rock and Country
Person stuck with on a deserted Island: Joe Rogan
Hobbies other than Hockey: Baseball, Travelling, Hiking
Three People you would invite to Dinner: Elon Musk, Albert Einstein, Theo Von
College/University of Choice: Arizona State University
Like Most About Great Falls: The people and the community!
How would you define a successful season: Becoming a better person and player!
Here are the upcoming events for you to mark your calendars:
- November 29th and 30th – Home versus Sheridan with 7:05 puck drop both nights! Friday night is the return of the Gils Point S Tire and Auto “Tricycle Races” and Saturday night we recognize “Mental Health Awareness”.
- November 30th – Montana 4-H Congress Champions Horse Judging Team raffle is drawn during the 2nd intermission.
- December 1st – Team Christmas Party hosted by the Booster Club!
- December 6th – Road game versus Bozeman at 7:30 PM. Official Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings.
- December 7th – Road game versus Helena at 7:05 PM. Official Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings.
- December 15-17 – NA3HL Showcase in Blaine, MN. Game times and opponents TBD.
- December 28th – The Americans will practice at the Havre Ice Dome and then conduct clinics with their youth teams.
- December 31st – Home game versus the Butte Irish – 6:05 PM Puck Drop!
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* | Croxford Funeral Home and Crematory* |
Thank you for being a part of our hockey family!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com