NOTE: A Special Thanks to Michael Noel (above, https://mnoelphotography.smugmug.com) for providing the photos.
By Kevin Scott
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Score Sheet | League Scoreboard | Americans Team Statistics |
SHERIDAN, Wyo., March 13, 2025 —Last weekend, the 2024-25 NA3HL regular season concluded after each team played 47 regular season contests. Playoff hockey in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) is now in session.
This week, the top four finishers in each of the five NA3HL divisions (East, West, Frontier, South and Central) meet in the 2025 NA3HL Divisional Playoffs with the semifinal round (March 13-16) this week with the winning teams meeting in the Divisional Finals on March 20-23.
The winning team (all series in all rounds are best-of-three) in each of the divisions plus one wild card team will be invited to play at the 2025 NA3HL Fraser Cup (National) Championships slated to start on March 26-30, 2025, in St Peters, Missouri at the St. Peters Rec Plex. The national tournament features each team playing two (round robin) games followed by a semifinal round (two games) and the national championship game.
The Frontier Divisional Semi-Final round features the #4 Badlands (SD) Sabres (26-15-4-3) facing off against the #1 Helena Bighorns (41-5-1-1) and the #3 Great Falls Americans (27-15-4-2) challenge the #2 Sheridan (WY) Hawks (29-15-3-1) with the best-of-three winning squads moving on to face each other in the Frontier Division Finals.
The Badlands Sabres hosted the Helena Bighorns on Wednesday, March 12 in Rapid City, South Dakota for Game 1 of the Frontier Division Semifinals. The Sabres were on a mission to take down the Bighorns on their home ice and they accomplished one of their goals, defeating the 2024 NA3HL National Champions, 5-4. Each team scored once in the first period and then Badlands outscored the Bighorns 3-2 in the middle period for the 4-3 advantage. The score remained that way until the final four minutes of the third period when Rylan Sabo of the Sabres scored against Helena netminder Tyler Miller for the two-goal lead. Helena’s Austin Uecker scored with 66 seconds remaining to pull his team to within one 5-4, but the comeback attempt would be denied for the visiting team from Montana. Ryan Jordan led the way for the winning club with two goals. Ethan Seanor, Gaven Marx, and Rylan Salo all got in the scoring column for South Dakota. Four different players (Jeffrey Hershberger, Caden Fenstein, Finn Theriault and Austin Uecker) accounted for the goals for Helena. Jackson Roethler (Badlands), who is now 7-5-1-0 including the first playoff contest, played all sixty minutes finishing with 42 saves and allowing four goals as the netminder for the home team. Tyler Miller (14-3-1-0) took the rare loss by swatting away 26 shots in his first appearance against Badlands this season. Badlands and Helena will play their second game of the series at Steed Arena in Helena, Montana on Friday night (March 14) at 7:05PM (MST). Helena needs to win to keep their season alive (Box Score).
Meanwhile, Great Falls was looking to steal their first playoff game with a road victory over the Sheridan (WY) Hawks on Thursday night at Whitney Rink in the M&M’s Center. Great Falls and Sheridan split their series with each opponent winning four games in regulation. The Americans played well at the Great Falls Ice Plex this season picking up 15 wins in front of the home fans and swept the Butte Irish, who failed to make the playoffs, in the last week of the regular season to clinch the third spot in the playoffs.
Sheridan got swept in two games last weekend to the Badlands Sabres and finished the year with 15 home victories.
Sheridan Hawks forward Josh Serino scored two goals and had one assist as the #2 Sheridan (WY) Hawks blanked the #3 Great Falls Americans, 4-0 during Game 1 of the 2025 NA3HL Frontier Division Semifinals in Sheridan, Wyoming on Thursday night.
Both defenses held up during the first period. Despite a combined total of 30 shots-on-goal, Great Falls and Sheridan could not come away with any successful scoring drives.
Josh Serino, one of three players on Sheridan’s roster that hails from Alaska, scored twice during the second period. Serino’s first goal came with 15:20 left before the second intermission. Elijah White and Zach Longnecker each earned one assist to give the Hawks a 1-0 advantage. Zach Longnecker collected his second playoff assist and Vincent Leaf also added a helper on Josh Serino’s second goal of the game midway through the stanza. The final ten minutes went scoreless with Sheridan outshooting Great Falls, 17-10.
The home team was not done scoring. Anthony Launderville tacked on the Hawks third goal six minutes into the final period of regulation with assistance from Logan Sidlauskas and Ernest Allen. Great Falls took out starting goaltender Kaden Rhyder to add an extra offensive player on the ice with two minutes remaining in the contest. Kiefer Dunham took advantage of the empty net and scored Sheridan’s fourth goal before the game concluded. Josh Serino and Logan Hume set up the final scoring opportunity for the Hawks.
Sheridan attempted 31 of their 46 total shots before the third period. Great Falls ended their first playoff game with 41 shots including 15 in the third frame.
Both teams combined for six minor penalties during the sixty-minute affair. The Americans went 0-for-2 on the power play.
John Simon, a product of Fargo, North Dakota, redirected all 40 shots taken by the Americans offense. Kaden Rhyder accumulated 42 saves for Great Falls in the setback.
NEXT CONTEST: Game Two of the Frontier Divisional Semi-finals will take place on Friday, March 14th at 7:05PM (MST) live from the Great Falls Ice Plex as the Americans look to even the series against the Hawks and force a third (if necessary) game that is set for Sunday, March 16th at 1:00PM (MST) in Sheridan, Wyoming. Catch all the postseason coverage on the NA3HL’s official streaming service, NAHLTV.
Fans should get their tickets early as the team expects a sell-out crowd for Friday’s showdown. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here.
Meanwhile, Helena will host Badlands on Friday evening at 7:05PM (MST) for Game 2 of their best-of-three series inside Steed Arena. Badlands can move to the Frontier Division Finals with another victory against Helena.
NOTES: Americans forward Aiden Kennedy scored two goals and dished out two assists to help lead the Americans to a weekend sweep over the Butte Irish, winning 6-3 and 4-2 last weekend. Kennedy’s efforts garnered him the Frontier Division (3rd Star) of the Week ending March 9, 2025. Click here for more information.
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.
(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.