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 |
GREAT FALLS, Mont., February 14, 2026 — The month of February has treated the Great Falls Ameicans (26-13-1-1) to lots of success!!! Great Falls has wins over the Bozeman Ice Dogs, Butte Irish and the Gillette (WY) Wild prior to tonight’s game. The combined three games to begin February has produced 25 goals scored while allowing just two through that span. The Americans have earn a pair of 11-0 shutout victories against Butte and Gillette within the past week.
Great Falls’ opponent on Saturday was the Badlands (SD) Sabres (20-16-3-2), based out of Rapid City, South Dakota. In their five meetings this season, the Sabres have made it difficult on the Americans on the scoreboard. Great Falls is 2-3-0-0 when facing the South Dakota NA3HL squad.
Saturday’s game was the final head-to-head meeting of the season between these two foes unless they meet in the NA3HL Playoffs in a few weeks.
In order to pick up a weekend sweep after Friday’s 11-0 win over the Gillette Wild, Great Falls would have to stop the likes of Dayton Niedert, Rhylan Olson, and Maddox Harn. Niedert, an Iowa native, leads the team with 28 goals while Olson and Harn have combined for 47 assists for head coach Brooks Mitzel’s team.
Cooper Clouse (56 assists) and Ethan Miller (32 goals) are the standouts on the ice for the Americans.
After Saturday’s showdown, Great Falls’ Cooper Clouse and Fisher Hannesson along with Badland players, Dayton Niedert and Gaven Marx will all be playing for Team White at the 2026 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament (TPT) on Monday (Feb. 16) and Tuesday (Feb. 17) in Plymouth, Michigan. The TPT is an “all-star” like tournament where the players showcase their skils in front of many scouts from the NCAA and junior scouts are in attendance to watch the top prospects in one location. Click here for rosters, game schedule and TPT information. You can watch the TPT games on NATV.
Great Falls was looking for their fifth consecutive victory on Saturday evening in front of their home fans. Would their winning streak continue?
Photo Credit: Great Falls Americans Facebook
Aiden Mulharen scored the go-ahead goal and Ethan Miller put in the empty net score at the end of regulation to lift the Great Falls Americans past the Badlands (SD) Sabres, 3-1 at the Great Falls Ice Plex on Saturday evening. The win ensured Great Falls would clinch a spot in the upcoming Frontier Division playoffs in the middle of March after the #5 Bozeman Ice Dogs fell 6-3 to the top-ranked Sheridan (WY) Hawks in Bozeman, Montana.
Both teams combined for 13 shots-on-goal but no points after the first twenty minutes.
During the middle frame, Great Falls and Badlands each buried the puck in the net once. Matthew Cordis lit up the lamp as the Sabres took the early lead. Patrick Gosselin and Rylan Salo set up the Sabres first scoring drive five minutes after the first intermission. Cooper Clouse kept his scoring streak alive with an assist on a goal by Fisher Hannesson. AJ Prioli got credit for the secondary assist on the game-tying score (1-1) with 6:41 left on the clock. Clouse, who scored his 55th assist on the first goal for the Americans, has either scored and/or earned an assist in his 30th straight game. Both teams skated away the rest of the period. Badlands took twice as many shots (19-9) in the second stanza.
Great Falls’ Aidan Mulharen broke the tie within the first five minutes of the third period. Jase Troyer and Kiefer Lundmark each assisted on the play that gave the home team their first lead of the contest (2-1). The home team came up with many defensive stops in the final minutes. Ethan Miller ensured the victory by scoring on an empty net as time expired. Cooper Clouse and AJ Prioli tacked on their second assists of the game.
Despite scoring one goal, the Sabres attempted a dozen more shots (34-22) than the Americans. Great Falls was held to 17 shots after the first period.
Five minor penalties dotted the stat sheet in the final regular season clash between Badlands and Great Falls. Three power play chances went unanswered accounting for ten minutes spent off the ice.
Three different players each put the biscuit in the basket for the winning team. Fisher Hannesson, Aidan Mulharen and Ethan Miller were responsible for the tallies. Cooper Clouse and AJ Prioli accrued two assists apiece. Matthew Cordis prevented the shutout with his ninth goal of the season coming in the middle stanza for the visiting South Dakota team.
Kaden Rhyder was spectacular in the net as he allowed just one second period goal by Badlands. He registered 33 saves in 60 minutes as he moved his record to 15-5-0-1 and received his first victory over the Sabres this season. Jackson Roethler (21 saves) was denied his tenth victory by allowing one goal in the second and third periods, respectively. Roethler, one of six players from Canada on the Sabres roster, fell to 9-9-2-1 including one loss to Great Falls in three meetings.
NOTES: Americans forward Ethan Miller was the Frontier Division Star of the Week (First Star) for the week ending February 8, 2026. The Pennsylvania native totaled 7 goals over two games against the Bozeman Ice Dogs and the Butte Irish this past weekend (Feb. 6-7). He scored all three goals in a 3-2 victory in Bozeman, Montana on Friday and then erupted for four of the eleven goals in an 11-0 win in Havre, Montana versus the Butte Irish. He has 31 goals and 27 assists in 26 appearances this season.
The Americans will be having $10 DASH Day on Tuesday, February 24th with several items available to purchase will only be $10.00 and other
items at reduced prices for that day only. Please scan the QR Code (right) to get activated and participate in this activation.
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).
NEXT CONTEST: The Helena Bighorns and the Bozeman Ice Dogs will be the opponents for the Great Falls Americans in their two-game road trip on Friday and Saturday, February 20-21. The Americans and Bighorns will tangle inside Steed Arena on Friday at 7:05PM followed by a trip to Bozeman, Montana to challenge the Ice Dogs on Saturday with the puck dropping at 7:30PM (MST). NATV will provide the weekend coverage.
Great Falls will return the the friendly confines of the Great Falls Ice Plex for a two-game series with the Gillette (WY) Wild on February 28 – March 1.
Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom (1101 7th Street South) 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.
NATV 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.
For complete schedules/results, promotions, team stats, rosters and much more information, please go to our official website: www.greatfallsamericans.com