By Kevin Scott
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Score Sheet | League Scoreboard | Americans Team Statistics |
SHERIDAN, Wyo., October 13, 2023 — The #6 Sheridan (WY) Hawks (2-6-1-0) is the fifth different Frontier Division team that the #4 Great Falls Americans (5-5-0-0) have competed against this season.
After nine games this season, the Americans have defeated the Yellowstone (WY) Quake in both games, lost to the Gillette (WY) Wild twice and the Bozeman Ice Dogs once and they are 2-2 against the Badlands (SD) Sabres. Newcomer Dmitri Kuleshov continues to lead the team in goals scored (7), Ty O’Bey has dished out a team-high of seven assists and leads the team in total points with 13.
Sheridan, coached this season by Cameron Dimmitt, has two wins in eight games prior to tonight’s contest. The Hawks have faced four different opponents so far this season as they have fell to the Bozeman Ice Dogs and the Helena Bighorns two games each, 1-1-0-0 against the Butte Irish and one win and one overtime setback to the Badlands Sabres. Forward Tanner Freed is the Hawks team leader in goals scored with six and total points (10). The Hawks return four forwards (Kaden Lansing, Caleb Murray, Jackson LeBrasseur, and Kiefer Dunham) and two defensemen in Jaxon Call and Niko Kempa.
Great Falls played a rare Thursday night home game (October 12th) against the Badlands Sabres for the fourth time this season. The Sabres held a 4-0 lead through two full periods before the Americans scored twice in the third for their fifth loss this year including two against Badlands (game story).
The #4 Great Falls Americans earned their first shutout of the 2023-24 season by downing the #6 Sheridan (WY) Hawks, 4-0 on their home ice on Friday night at Whitney Rink in the M&M’s Center. Great Falls snapped their two-game losing skid.
The Americans, the visitors on the scoreboard for just the second time this season after having eight games at the Great Falls Ice Plex, took a 1-0 advantage after Ty O’Bey whose sixth goal went by former Badlands Sabres netminder Zach Broxterman late in the first period. Phil Harrell and Masen Kerr earned the assists. Both squads took eleven shots-on-goal before the first intermission.
For the second straight period, the Americans chipped in a goal while not allowing Sheridan to score. An Aaron Leaf pass to Luke Pizzey with 1:59 remaining in the second period increased the lead for the Montana squad (2-0). Ty O’Bey Great Falls and Sheridan each made 25 shots including 14 in the middle stanza.
Great Falls’ offense lit up the lamp twice in the third frame. Jacob James and Christian Crutcher added their third tallies of the season as the Americans prevailed in their first road win of the season. Dmitri Kuleshov assisted on both scoring drives while Luke Pizzey and Aaron James each added one assist to their resume.
The host team outshot Great Falls 20-18 in the final period as both teams combined for 25 shots before the second intermission.
Luke Pizzey and Ty O’Bey led Great Falls with one goal and one assist apiece. Dmitri Kuleshov assisted on the last two goals of the third.
Americans goalie Kaden Ryhder had his best performance as a member of the Americans as the Pennsylvania native stopped all 45 shots while improving to 2-1-0-0. Sheridan’s goaltenders Zach Broxterman and Tyle Ouren struggled throughout the night. Broxterman lasted one period giving up one goal on 10 saves was credited with the loss (0-4-1-0). Ouren allowed three goals including two in the third ended the contest with 29 saves.
NOTES: Prior to last Sunday’s home game against the Bozeman Ice Dogs, the Americans traded defenseman Walker Montgomery to the Sheridan (WY) Hawks of the NA3HL. Montgomery saw action for the Wyoming team tonight after playing in six contests for Great Falls this season.
Jim Quick has another episode of the “Americans Podcast with host Jim Quick” completed online. The third episode features Americans defenseman Phil Harrell. To see this podcast and the previous two episodes featuring the history of the Great Falls Americans and Alex Leaf, the current Associate Coach for the Americans and former player, please click here.
The Americans have a new online team store this season with a variety of items to buy. Click here to buy online or purchase your Americans souvenirs at any of the home games.
Please check out the Americans website at www.greatfallsamericans.com for all your updated news, game summaries, rosters, photo galleries, etc.
For more information on what the team is doing this week in the community and other news from Great Falls Americans Team Owner, Matt Leaf, please click here to view his weekly “Baldy’s Puck Drop” Newsletter.
FRONTIER DIVISION UPDATE: The top-ranked Helena Bighorns (9-0-0-0), one of the top teams in the NA3HL, showed why they are a dominant team by blowing out the #8 Yellowstone (WY) Quake (0-9-0-0), 9-0 inside Helena’s home arena on Friday. Tim Mattingly (2 goals) was one of eight different scorers for the Bighorns. Goaltender Alex Lamont is now 3-0-0-0. The Bighorns offense fired off 86 shots and allowed just four shots for the Quake. John Hughes, in his second year with Yellowstone, had 35 saves in 33 minutes and is now 0-4-0-0 (Box Score).
The second-ranked Gillette (WY) Wild (7-1-0-1) took advantage of their home arena and loud fans to easily defeat the #3 Bozeman Ice Dogs (7-1-0-0), 6-1. Ryan Hipsag and Tay Kurpius combined for four of Gillette’s six goals in their seventh win in nine games. Bozeman lost for the first time this season. Braden Koliha had the only goal for the Ice Dogs in the second stanza. Cole Wheaton (4-1-0-1) gathered 29 saves for the Wild. Matthew Ryynanen (4-1-0-0) had 30 saves in the loss for Bozeman. Isaac Weatherford, Ryynanen’s backup, ended with 21 saves (Box Score).
In the closest game in the NA3HL’s Frontier Division on Friday night, the #7 Butte Irish (2-5-0-0) needed overtime to deliver their second victory of the year against the #5 Badlands (SD) Sabres (3-3-1-2) in front of their home fans at the Butte Community Ice Center. Butte’s Andrew Browe lit up the lamp twice including the game-winning tally in the extra period for the 4-3 Irish victory. Browe also dished out two assists. Meanwhile, Alexander Petrotto, Aden Cobbs, and Ryan Jordan accrued the tallies for Badlands. Keegan Strong (Butte) notched his first victory (1-2-0-0) by swatting away 45 of the 48 shots created by the Sabres. His counterpart, Dakota Jahnke (0-0-1-1) had a 38 save performance in the setback (Box Score).
NEXT CONTEST: Great Falls will finish their Wyoming road trip against the Sheridan Hawks on Saturday, October 14th beginning at 7:30PM (MST). This will be the only trip to Sheridan, Wyoming for the Americans this season as the Hawks will come to the Great Falls Ice Plex for a pair of games on November 17-18.
NAHLTV is the streaming platform that fans can watch all of the NA3HL contests including the Great Falls Americans all season long. Click here to learn more about how to view any of the Americans home and away contests.
The Stadum Bar and Casino, located at 1121 5th Street South 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.
Click here for the 2023-24 Great Falls Americans schedule and results.