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BALDY’S PUCK DROP Weekly E-Newsletter (September – March) |
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Baldy’s Puck Drop” Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Volume 10: November 9, 2023
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast:
Going to start this week by suggesting that I thought I had pretty much seen everything in hockey – been all over the world and North America. I won’t take up this space in telling some of the stories, but Saturday night created another first for me when a puck set off a fire sprinkler head at the end of warm-ups resulting in a 40-minute delay for the puck drop. A very heartfelt thank you goes out to some of our volunteer fans and the arena staff in reacting as quickly as they did. They really went above and beyond to make sure we had a safe environment to play. The HUGE thank you goes to Ryan Smith for climbing the ladder without hesitation to remove the insulation debris hanging over the ice – needless to say Ryan had access to free beer the rest of the night. For those that were in attendance and especially our presenting Sponsor – Point S Tire and Auto Service – thank you for your patience and understanding.
Our players were informed last week that they can no longer fall back on the excuse of being a young team. They are about of 3rd of the way through the season and have seen every team, so there should be no more surprises and the responsibility now fall on them to be prepared and put in the effort. The effort was pretty good Saturday, and the key now is to continue to learn from previous experiences while heading into a hostile environment this weekend. Very much looking forward for the opportunity for this team to take another step forward in learning what it takes to be competitive at this level.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of our goals and objectives – which is to provide exposure, experience and to promote our players to the next level. Congratulations to Goalkeeper Kayden Rhyder, Defenseman Phil Harrell and Forward Dmitri Kuleshov for earning honorable mention” Stars of the Month” recognition from the NA3HL. All players from all 34 teams in the league are eligible to be recognized and roughly 10 from each position earn these types of accolades. The other positive is we have now had two of our players be called up to practice with Teams in the NAHL (Tier II League). Christian Crutcher was called up to practice with the Springfield Jr. Blues in mid-October while Ty O’Bey just spent a few days practicing with the Minot Minotauros, also from the NAHL. Look for some other players to get the call up at some point this season and we are proud of our players earning the right to show what they can do at the next level. To the best of our knowledge, no other team in the Frontier Division has had call-ups, yet, this season.
Two away games at Helena this Friday-Saturday, which means time to visit our partners at the Stadium Sports Bar and Casino for our official watch parties. Puck drop is 7:05 PM both nights and enjoy watching the games with other fans plus some great food and drink.
We follow that up with two very busy weekends at home over the Thanksgiving Holiday. We host Sheridan the 17th and 18th during our Military Appreciation weekend where we honor those with Military ID’s with discounted tickets, drinks and merchandise. We then have a quick turn-around after Thanksgiving Thursday with Friday and Saturday night match-ups with Butte followed by a Sunday game with Bozeman. Sunday’s (November 26th) theme will celebrate Women’s/Girls’ Hockey and will be preceded by a “Wine, Women and Hockey” seminar from 4:00-6:00 PM prior to the game. We are assembling an amazing panel of Women who are pioneers/leaders in the hockey community who will share their stories and answer questions from anyone in attendance. Girls/Women of all ages are welcome to attend with a game ticket and the Americans will provide refreshments and snacks at no additional cost. For those who would like to attend, please pre-register by emailing me at (MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com). Look for more info in future Newsletters and through our social media channels.
A quick reminder to set the date of November 16th for the Booster Club’s “Raise a Pint” fundraiser at Annie’s Taphouse (112 Central Avenue). The event will run from 5:00 PM8:00 PM and Annie’s will donate to the Booster Club for every pint of Beer or glass of Wine sold. This is another great opportunity to mingle with passionate hockey fan’s and enjoy some amazing craft beer in a relaxing and comfy atmosphere.
Finally, please consider supporting the Uptown Optimist Christmas Tree sales. Our players will be helping out with the set up and tree delivery the next week. Tree tickets are $50.00 per book and good for your tree, wreath, door charms or accessories purchase. Please contact Dena Schoolcraft at bod@rainbowsl.com to secure your tree tickets
Player Profile – #92 Jakob James (Eagle River, AK) 5’10” 150 lbs. Forward – Shoots Right
Favorite Team: Washington Capitals Favorite Player: Alexander Ovechkin
Favorite Movie: Step Brothers Favorite Actor/Actress: Will Ferrell
Favorite Food: Mac & Cheese Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Egg Sandwich
Musical Group You Won’t Miss in Concert: AC DC
Song or Artist Guaranteed to get you hyped: Kodak Black
One Item you would bring with you to a deserted Island: Jet Ski
Hobbies other than Hockey: Snowmobiling, Stocks, Jet Skiing, Hiking
Three People you would invite to Dinner: Alexander Ovechkin, WIll Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg
College/University of Choice: University of Minnesota Like Most About Great Falls: The community – everyone around Great Falls are great people.
How would you define a successful season: Winning games and making lots of memories.
Also, 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
| Century Gaming | Great Falls Hospital & Clinic | Anderson Glass-Door | Point S Tire & Auto Service |
| 2 J’s Complex | Borrie’s Italian Supper Club | Murphy Law Office | Stadium Sports Bar & Casino |
| Heidelberg Lounge | Treasure State Eyecare | Craftmaster Cabinets | Floors and More Abbey Carpets |
| Tuttle Tile | Teriyaki Madness | Central MT Lock & Safe | 3D International Restaurant |
| Jersey Mike’s | Noble’s West Side Liquor | Annie’s Taphouse | Hotel Avron-Celtic Cowboy |
| Scheel’s | Croxford Funeral Home | Big Sky Laboratory | Allstate- Tammy Quintrell-Stubbs |
| All State Signs | Highwood Creek Outfitters | Automotive Machine | She Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique |
| Wheat Montana | Stifel Investment Services | Bigelow Endodontics | Best Western Plus Riverfront Hotel |
| Culligan Water | Best Med Urgent Care | Buffalo Wild Wings | Tilleraas Landscape & Nursery |
| Stockman Bank | SpringHill Suites by Marriott | Central Avenue Meats | Todd Neighbor at Comparion Insurance |
| Fuddrucker’s | Play It Again Sports | The Beacon IceHouse | Nate & Renae Weisenburger |
| Life In Bloom | Camparion Insurance | United Materials | Fox Sports Radio, Q106, 109.9 The Wolf |
| Hampton Inn | Traynor Capital | Bravera Bank | Discount Meats |
| KFBB (SWX) | Cascade Electric |
Thank you for being a part of our family and we look forward to seeing you at the rink.
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com