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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 45: November 14, 2024
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: I am going to start with a huge positive. We are happy to announce
that Easton Kennedy has tendered with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the NAHL for next season. Easton played 15 games with us this season totaling 21 points on 9 goals and 15 assists. Easton is the first NA3HL player to sign an NAHL tender this season, and this is why we do what we do – the opportunity to promote players to higher levels. Easton returned home at the first of the month to compete in his High School season for Detroit Lakes HS and plans on returning to Great Falls to finish the season with the Americans next February. Once our season is over, Easton will likely join up with Fairbanks to finish their season prior to earning a spot on their roster next season. Congratulations to Easton and we look forward to following your HS season and getting you back on American’s ice later this season.
Next, I want to give a quick shout out to Jase Troyer and his Centerville High School Football team for advancing to the Montana State 6-Man football semi-finals this Saturday. They play at Bridger at 1:00 PM and with another win, will advance to the State Championship game on the 22nd that they are slated to host. They are 10-1 on the season and won their ¼ final match-up 44-40 over Chester-Joplin-Inverness which avenged their only loss in their first game of the season 65-63. Jase has been balancing school, practice and games (when not playing football) with the Americans and a full HS football schedule. We wish Jase a successful semi-final and look forward to his full-time return to the Americans with a state football title to his name!
There are several different ways to measure success and last weekend was one of those times when multiple different perspectives can all be right at the same time. I certainly don’t pretend to have all the answers and there has been quite a bit of time spent the last few days trying to figure out what I was going to say to summarize this past weekend series in Gillette. For the sake of brevity, I won’t bore you with every little emotion and detail of what I have been thinking – but I also do feel the need to share some of the ups and downs of what we went through (and I would anticipate the coaches and players feel mostly the same).
Friday night – first period we are feeling pretty good as we were up 1-0 after dominating the full 20 minutes. The only real concern is that the score should have been 4-0 with all the chances that were created. Second period was utter disappointment as we completely fell apart for about 15 minutes – resulting in a 4-1 deficit entering the 3rd period. The final period was more like the first and we battled back to fall 6-3 with an empty net goal. So, what should we have learned – you must play a full 60 minutes and take advantage of the opportunities you create to put teams away.
Fast forward to Saturday night and the first period was a repeat of Friday night – but with even more domination in what should have been a 5-0 lead but was still only 1-0. So, here we go again in the 2nd, but only fell asleep for about 5 minutes (I guess that is good) this time and created a 3-1 hole that we were able to get back to 3-2 by the end of the period. Third period we battled again and fought our way back to a 3-3 tie with a little over 4:00 left. We showed some character, fought through some adversity and played the game the way we can in order to battle back into the game and then we promptly shifted down a couple of gears and played “Not to lose” for the last four minutes and overtime. The coaching staff and I talked after the game, and all agreed we had never seen anything quite like it before and could not figure out what triggered the change to that mode versus going for the jugular. On the positive side, the primary reason we were able to get to overtime and secure the point was the play of goaltender Patrick Forsythe those last four minutes as he made more than a handful of spectacular saves. The end result was a 4-3 overtime loss – although the point we gained in the standings could prove to be valuable, it was still a lost opportunity to establish our team as an elite team competing for a division and league title.
In summary – we proved we can play at a high level for spurts and be effective in creating scoring chances – but must be able to finish those chances with goals. We learned that the game is a full 60 minutes and even a one second let down (not picking up your guy during the 3 v 3 overtime) can result in a loss. We established more depth in goal and can play with confidence that our goaltending will keep us in most games and give us a chance to win. We found out the division is tough and except for maybe Helena at the top and Yellowstone at the bottom, any one of the remaining teams can beat anyone else on any given night and that a playoff spot is not a given if we simply go through the motions. I have always said it is not always about wins and losses – our goals and purpose present a much bigger picture than that. At the same time, wins and losses do matter in the grand scheme of things for personal growth and development, team success and plays a part in the business success. The expectations are high for this team and the player’s reaction after Saturday indicate they do care. The key is not to let the past three games define our entire season and instead use them as the learning opportunity and motivation to achieve our goals. How we respond to the very difficult and intense next six weeks will be a much better indication of our success.
With the weekend road trip, not much happening off the ice as we prepare for a tough series this weekend. We host Bozeman on Friday night at 7:05 PM which will be a battle for 3rd place in the Frontier Division. We will welcome the Staff and Guests from Stifel | Finnicum Investment Services as our presenting sponsor for the night.
Saturday night we head back to Helena to take on the defending Fraser Cup Champions and current division leaders. It will be another great test for our team to see how far we have come and to establish ourselves as legitimate contenders. The staff has not waivered from the expectations of this team and these games will go a long way in building the confidence and poise needed to accomplish our goals. Stop by Buffalo Wild Wings Saturday night to enjoy our official watch party with other passionate fans.
Player Profile – #31 Karanveer Kooner (Calgary, Alberta) 5’10” 145 lbs. GK– Shoots Left DOB 06/04/2006
Favorite Team: Calgary Flames Favorite Player: Juuse Saros
Favorite Movie: Warrior Actor/Actress: Adam Sandler
Favorite Food: Shawarma Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Rice & Chicken
If you were an animal: Gorilla – So I could be the king of the jungle!
Musical Group You Won’t Miss in Concert:
Music Guaranteed to get you hyped: Umbrella by Rihanna and Jay-Z
Person stuck with on a deserted Island: Leonardo Da Vinci
Hobbies other than Hockey: Building mini-bikes
Three People you would invite to Dinner: Adam Sandler, Albert Einstein, Dennis Rodman
College/University of Choice: University of Victoria
Like Most About Great Falls: My teammates, wood floors and Apolebee’s!
How would you define a successful season: Havng a winning season while building a rookie goalie!
Here are the upcoming events for you to mark your calendars:
• Friday, November 15th – Home versus Bozeman at 7:05 PM. We welcome a group from Stifel | Finnicum Financial Group as our presenting sponsor for the evening!
• Saturday, November 16th – Road game versus Helena at 7:05 PM. Official Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings.
• November 21st – 9:00 AM the Americans will assist the Great Falls Optimist Club with their Annual Christmas tree sale by helping to unload and set up 600 trees delivered that morning.
• November 22nd and 23rd – Military Appreciation Weekend as we host Bozeman (Friday) and Butte (Saturday) and recognize those who have served our country.
• November 22nd – Great Falls Figure skating Club Exhibition from 5:15-6:15 PM. Come out to our game early and cheer on the local figure skaters as they perform their routines for the first time.
• November 23rd – Presentation of donation to “Think Pink For the Girls”!
• November 29th and 30th – Home versus Sheridan with 7:05 puck drop both nights!
• December 1st – Team Christmas Party hosted by the Booster Club!
• December 6th – Road game versus Bozeman at 7:30 PM. Official Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings.
• December 7th – Road game versus Helena at 7:05 PM. Official Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings.
• December 14-16 – NA3HL Showcase in Blaine, MN. Game times and opponents TBD.
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 (* new this season)
| 3D International Restaurant and Lounge | All-State Signs | Annie’s Taphouse |
| Comparion Insurance-Todd Neighbor | Automotive Machine | Beacon Ice House |
| Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation | Benski Towing & Recovery | Big Sky Harley Davidson* |
| Floors & More Abbey Carpets | Big Sky Laboratory | Bravera Bank |
| Hoglund’s | Cascade Electric | Central Avenue Meats |
| Hotel Arvon-Celtic Cowboy | Central MT Lock & Safe | Century Gaming |
| Life in Bloom Floral & Gift Boutique | Coca-Cola* | Craftmaster Cabinets |
| Montana Air National Guard* | Culligan Water | Ferrin’s Furniture |
| She Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique | Great Falls Hospital | Hampton Inn & Suites |
| Stifel |Finnicum Financial Group | Highwood Creek Outfitters | Jersey Mike’s |
| Tilleraas Landscape & Nursery | Johnson Distributing | Karma Coffee* |
| Murphy Law | Open Door Wellness* | Play It Again Sports |
| Purvis Chiropractic* | Scheels | STARadio |
| Stockman Bank | TDS Fiber* | Teriyaki Madness |
| Traynor Capital | Visit Great Falls* | Westgate Repair Inc* |
| Mountain Title Company* |
Thank you for being a part of our hockey family!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com