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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 78: October 9, 2025
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: The first full weekend road trip is in the books and can be labeled a success. The Americans came away with 5-0 and 4-1 wins over the Yellowstone Quake in Cody, Wyoming and can still acknowledge that we have some work to do. The team played well, at times, but still needs to establish some consistency for a full 60 minutes while reducing careless turnovers and executing more efficiently in all three zones. The Americans were led by Reid Lezubski who tallied 5 goals on the weekend while goalkeeper Cole Murphy earned the 2nd Star of the Week for the Frontier Division after recording his 4th win of the season and stopping 66 of the 67 shots he faced over the two wins. Congratulations to Cole!
I want to provide a little behind the scenes of a typical road trip since it will be something we will be doing a lot of the coming weeks. The
team hit the road for Cody at 8:30 AM onFriday morning and after a couple of quick stops, arrived in Cody at 2:00 PM. The first stop was Jersey Mike’s, our corporate partner, to pick up the pre-game sandwiches we ordered and then we checked into the hotel to be able to relax for a cou ple of hours before the game. This trip to Cody was unique as for the first time, the Quake put us up in the historical “Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel”. Located in downtown Cody, The Irma Hotel was originally built by Buffalo Bill Cody in 1902 and then additions were bult in 1929 and 1977. It was really a cool place and a reminder to our players that the Junior experience can be more than just hockey. I’ll also add that we have a handful of players (and maybe a few staff) that are also convinced the Irma Hotel is haunted after the time spent there last weekend.
The Saturday of road weekends, especially when in the same town, can be a waiting game. The team grabbed some breakfast at 9:00 AM and then had a couple of hours to relax before hopping on the bus for a short drive to Buffalo Bill State Park and Dam about 15 minutes outside of town. The weather was not cooperating, so the normal hike down the canyon was a no go this time around. We took a quick picture in front of the reservoir and then jumped back on the bus for a quick stop at Walmart to grab supplies for the ride home after the game. We had another couple of hours to relax and kill at the hotel before grabbing a team lunch at a local diner and heading back to the rink. In most cases, the team will head home immediately following the game on Saturday night!
We hit the road again this weekend with a Friday night game in Sheridan and Saturday back in Cody. This is a slight change in philosophy with our division as we would normally play both games in the same city. But a commitment is being made to play a balanced schedule (meaning to play each team an equal number of times home and away), so it will involve a little travel between Friday and Saturday’s games in some cases, which may also help not having to simply sit around and wait all day. The following weekend we do the same with Badlands and Gillette.
Join us at Buffalo Wild Wing’s this Friday and Saturday for our official watch parties. Puck drop is 7:30 PM on Friday and 7:05 on Saturday as
the Americans try to extend their three-game winning streak. Watching the game with other passionate fans is a great way to enjoy the games, get some awesome food and drink and it supports one of our loyal corporate partners. I look forward to seeing you there on Saturday, and who knows, there may be some prizes given away for those who attend.
We do have one special weekend home series coming up (October 24th and 25th) as it will be our 3rd Annual Breast Cancer Awareness
activation where we support “Think Pink for the Girls”. We are fortunate to have our partner, Benefis Health and the Sletten Cancer Institute involved, which allows us to paint the ice pink and wear special edition pink jerseys for the 2nd year in a row. We are also excited to have two games to support this worthy cause and look for more information about the various activations and events taking place during this weekend – including the opportunity to purchase a framed and team signed team photo wearing the special edition jerseys plus a “#1Fan” special edition jersey auction. Our players are excited to support this worthy cause again this season.
Today is the last chance to place your order for a custom 2025-26 jersey! We are currently offering our fans the
opportunity to purchase your very own customized version of our home and away jerseys for the 2025-26 season. Both our home (white) and away (blue) jerseys can be customized with your size, name and number for a limited time though our online store at www.greatfallsamericans.com. Expect the production time being 4-6 weeks with the goal of having them in well before the holidays. Don’t miss out on this one-time only opportunity to obtain your very own Americans’ jersey.
This week saw the official start of the Youth Hockey season with regular practices taking place. Our players will be helping with the 8U and the recreational levels of play throughout the season along with our sled hockey friends from Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation weekly sessions this fall. It is a great way for our kids to
get some additional ice time and give back to the community. We are proud of our players on how they represent within the community and look forward to a successful youth hockey season. There will be some other opportunities to engage with youth hockey and the community in the coming weeks as we continue to work together to grow the game and create a positive hockey environment.
Player Profile – #30 Cole Murphy (New Prague, MN) 6’2” 190 lbs. GOALKEEPER – Shoots Left DOB 10/01/2006
Favorite Team: Minnesota Wild 
Favorite Player: Andrei Vasilevskiy
Favorite Movie: Fight Club
Favorite Actor/Actress: Matthew McConaughey
Favorite Food: Ribs / Mac / Pasta
Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Pasta
If you were animal: A Muskie – Impossible to catch, but fish to catch!
Musical Group You Won’t Miss in Concert: Queen
Music Guaranteed to get you hyped: Rock
Person stuck with on a deserted Island: Patty Forsythe
Hobbies other than Hockey: Fishing, Surfing
Three People you would invite to Dinner: Donald Trump, My Best Friend, ANT Man (Anthony Edwards)
College/University of Choice: University of Denver
Like Most About Great Falls: Cafe Rio
How would you define a successful season: Rookie GK of the Year!
Here are the upcoming dates to add to your calendar:
- October 9th – Last chance to order your custom jersey for the 2025-26 season through our online store.
- October 10th – Oktoberfest at Malmstrom AFB 4:30 PM-8:00
- October 10th – Away game at 7:30 PM Puck drop and join our fans at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official Watch Party location.
- October 11th – Away game at 7:05 PM Puck drop and join our fans at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official Watch Party location.
- October 17th – Away game at 7:05 PM Puck drop and join our fans at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official Watch Party location.
- October 18th – Away game at 7:05 PM Puck drop and join our fans at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official Watch Party location.
- October 24th and 25th – “Think Pink for the Girls” Breast Cancer Awareness weekend presented by Benefis Puck drop 7:05 both nights – come check out the pink ice and performances from the Great Falls Figure Skating Club.
- October 31st – Away game at 7:05 PM Puck drop and join our fans at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official Watch Party location.
- November 1st – Away game at 7:05 PM Puck drop and join our fans at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official Watch Party location.
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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Tammy Quintrell-Stubbs
Gold, Silver and Bronze Level Partners (* new this season)
| All-State Signs | Beacon Ice House | Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation* |
| Floors & More Abbey Carpets | Central Avenue Meats | MNoel Photography |
| Havre Youth Hockey | Central MT Lock & Safe | Century Gaming |
| Life in Bloom Floral @ Gift Boutique | Hotel Arvon/Celtic Cowboy | Stifel l Finnicum Financial Group |
| Coca-Cola* | Craftmaster Cabinets | Culligan Water |
| Comparion Insurance | Play It Again Sports | Open Door Wellness |
| Big Sky Laboratory | Cascade Electric | Hampton Inn & Suites |
| Ferrin’s Furniture | Great Falls Hospital | She Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique |
| Jersey Mike’s | Karma Coffee | Murphy Law |
| Scheels | Stockman Bank | Traynor Capital |
| Voices of Hope* | Johnson Distributing | Mountain Title Company |
| Fire Pizza* | Montana Rib & Chop House* | Visit Great Falls |
| Croxford Funeral Home and Crematory | Bish’s RV of Great Falls* | StaRadio |
| Benski Towing & Recovery | Westgate Repair, Inc. | Annie’s Taphouse |
| Sip-N-Dip Lounge* |
Thank you for being a part of our hockey family!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com