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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 106: August 6, 2026
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: Time is starting to fly by quickly and it is hard to believe we are only 18 days away from the opening of our pre-season main camp. We will kick off the week with our 4th Annual
Cornhole Extravaganza on the 22nd at the Beacon IceHouse. It is always a great time for our players to get to know each other before an intense week of camp while their families and our fans also interact in a fun and informal atmosphere. This year, the Melissa Lynn Band will be taking the stage at 6:00 PM and will help us closeout our competition with live music. The Cornhole Tournament starts at 1:00 PM and all two person teams are encouraged to register before so we can establish the schedule. Register by clicking on the QR code to the right.
Our Main Camp will officially start on Monday the 24th with two practice sessions each day and a bevy of off-ice training including classroom, physical activities and some fun. All our players will be in attendance plus a few other players who are on our radar for the future. The camp week culminates with our Annual Blue-White Game at 7:00 PM on Saturday the 29th which is free to the public. We’ll be back with a new edition of Baldy’s Puck Drop in two weeks and will have more information then.
Congratulations to Brenda Reif from Great Falls for being drawn as the winner of our Game Worn Jersey during our 4th of July “250th Blowout Sale” through DASH and thank you to all of those
who participated in this successful fan activation. I would also like to thank our boosters and fans who helped during the 4th of July parade as Baldy and company put on a great show for the community. A very special thanks for Slabtek for providing the truck and trailer and for Krista Smith working her magic in providing the float decorations.
I would like to recognize those partners who have renewed for the coming season, since the last edition, they are; Big Sky Laboratory, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, Cascade Electric, Croxford Funeral Home, Ferrin’s Furniture, Fire Pizza, Great Falls College, Gusto Distributing, Howard’s Pizza, The Sip-n-Dip Lounge, Play It Again Sports, Scheels, She Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique, Stifel | Finnicum Financial Services, Voices of Hope and our newest partners AJ Concrete and Slabtek. The next few weeks will be busy as we finalize our promotional schedule and get all our materials produced and ready to go.
Players are continuing to sign their contracts as the summer has progressed and we want to welcome the following to our family for the 2026-27 season (previously announced highlighted):
| Player | Position | Year | Hometown | 2025-26 Team |
| Jarret Averett | Forward/Def | 2007 | Sidney, MT | Great Falls Americans |
| Colton Bacon | Forward | 2008 | Billings, MT | Great Falls Americans |
| Zach Bohan | Goalkeeper | 2008 | Rochester, MN | Rochester Century HS |
| Logan Knowles | Defenseman | 2009 | Spokane, WA | Spokane Jr. Chiefs 18U AA |
| Ayecan Mcleslie | Forward | 2008 | Spokane, WA | Spokane Jr. Chiefs 18U AA |
| Jarrett Parker | Forward | 2007 | Des Moines, IA | Des Moines Capitals 18U AAA |
| Jacob Piccioni | Forward | 2008 | Billings, MT | Team Wyoming 18U AAA |
| Paxon Sacre | Forward | 2008 | Des Moines, IA | Des Moines Capitals 18U AAA |
| Shaun Lerner | Forward | 2007 | Calgary, ALB | Bow River Bruins U21 |
| Isaac Algyer | Defenseman | 2007 | Rochester, MN | Rochester Century HS |
| John Gue | Defenseman | 2009 | Peyton, CO | Wilkes Barre/Scranton Knights |
| Jaxon Kruzich | Goalkeeper | 2008 | Ramsey, MT | Billings HS |
| Reid Lezubski | Forward | 2008 | Chestermere, ALB | Great Falls Americans |
| Riley Hattan | Forward | 2008 | Plainville, MI | Great Falls Americans |
| Jace Lane | Defenseman | 2009 | Owatonna, MN | Owatonna HS |
| Wilson Giles | Forward | 2007 | Fairfield, MT | Great Falls HS |
| Matthew DiPalma | Forward | 2008 | Meridian, ID | Idaho Jr. Steelheads 18U |
| Emanual Brogin | Defenseman | 2008 | Vancouver, BC | Thunder Huskies 18U |
| Jordan Antar | Forward | 2008 | Juliet, TN | Nashville Jr. Predators 18U |
| Kiefer Lundmark | Forward | 2007 | Detroit Lakes, MN | Great Falls Americans |
| Gordon Jennings | Defenseman | 2007 | Anchorage, AK | Great Falls Americans |
| Gunnar Bergo | Goalkeeper | 2007 | Anchorage, AK | Great Falls Americans |
Our two Jr Americans youth teams (9U and 11U) made their tournament debut in mid-July as they traveled to Vegas for the Summer Showdown Tournament. Due to a lack of teams at their respective age levels, both
teams played an age bracket up with the 9U team (mostly 8-year-olds) competing against summer tournament teams comprised of all 10-year-olds. They finished the tournament strong with a 1-0 win versus the Vegas 10U Girls Team with Nixon Pearce picking up the shutout. The 11U team played at the 12U level and after dropping their first two games, ended the tournament with consecutive 2-2 ties. Thank you to all the players and their parents for giving this a try and to opening the door for future player development in Great Falls during the summer months.
Season passes and individual game tickets are now on sale at www.greatfallsamericans.com. Pocket schedules are now out at several locations around town, and our full season schedule can also be downloaded off our website. Scan the QR Code to purchase your tickets and don’t miss out on any of the live action this season.
Here are the upcoming dates to add to your calendar:
- August 22nd – 4th Annual Cornhole Beacon IceHouse. Live music from the Melissa Lynn Band at 6:00 PM. Cornhole starts at 1:00 PM.
- August 24th -28th – Great Falls Americans Main Camp
- August 29th – 4th Annual GFA Blue-White Game
- September 11th – Regular Season Begins – Home and Season Opener
- September 12th – Home game with 4th Annual Tailgate Party Featuring the Live Band “After Five”
- October 23rd-24th – “Think Pink” Breast Cancer Awareness Weekend-Presented by Benefis Health-Sletten Cancer Institute
- November 6th-7th 2026 – Military Appreciation Weekend-Presented by 1st Liberty Federal Credit Union
- December 12th – 2nd Annual Russell Country Federal Credit Union “Teddy Bear Toss”.
- December 20th-22nd – NA3HL Showcase, Blaine,
Thank you to our corporate partners for their continued support.
Eagle’s Nest Level
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Diamond Level
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Platinum Level
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Gold, Silver and Bronze Level Partners (* new this season)
| 3D International Restaurant & Lounge* | AJ Concrete* | All-State Signs |
| Annie’s Taphouse | Beacon Ice House | Big Sky Laboratory |
| Bravera Bank | Cascade Electric | Central Avenue Meats |
| Central MT Lock & Safe | Century Gaming | Craftmaster Cabinets |
| Coca-Cola | Croxford Funeral Home | Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation |
| Ferrin’s Furniture | Fire Pizza | Floors & More Abbey Carpets |
| Golden Triangle Graphics* | Great Falls Clinics | Hampton Inn & Suites |
| Hoglund’s Work and Western Wear | Homestead 1909* | Jersey Mike’s |
| Life in Bloom Floral & Gift Boutique | Mountain Title Company | Murphy Law |
| Open Door Wellness | Play It Again Sports | Rainbow Senior Living* |
| Scheels | She Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique | Sip-N-Dip Lounge |
| Slabtek* | Sletten Construction* | Stifel l Finnicum Financial Group |
| TDS Fiber | Visit Great Falls | Voices of Hope |
Thank you for being a part of our hockey family!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com