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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 79: October 16, 2025
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: They often say that you need to take one step backwards to take two steps forward and that is pretty much how we feel about last weekend. The fact of the matter is the squad was not prepared to play, lacked intensity and simply did not execute on the ice last weekend and we plan to chalk that up as a learning experience. No reason to dwell on last weekend and the two lopsided losses-but we will learn from it, buckle down and use it as a tool to achieve our goals later in the season and prepare for two difficult games this weekend.
I would also like to touch on the business side of things a bit. One of the things we take pride in is doing things the right way and having the player’s best interest in mind. We are not a good fit for some players – they may not like the area, fit in with the personalities of their teammates, are homesick or don’t feel like they have a role within the coaching philosophy. And that is ok because if you are not having fun, are in love with what you are doing or are enjoying the experience, you are doing both yourself and the team a disservice. We want players who want to be here and want to play for the Americans. They are comfortable with their role and look forward to coming to the rink each day. That is what is best for the player and that is what is best for the team. In those cases, we will do whatever we can to facilitate a move to a new environment that does set the player up for success or allow them to go in a different direction. That is why you will see some players move away from the Americans while we also bring in players that are a good fit and do want to be here while also making our team better both on the ice and in the dressing room. I am not suggesting it is an easy process – but it is the reality of the team dynamics we work with and we very much appreciate the support and flexibility of our billet families when these changes are made. You’ll notice some moves have been made in the last week or two – both team originated, and player prompted – and it is likely more changes are coming as we settle into the heart of the season.
We hit the road again this weekend with a Friday night game at Badlands (Rapid City) and Saturday in Gillette. This is the longest non-
showcase road trip of the season, so we will leave this morning after an early practice. We have always felt it is better to get into town the night before playing Badlands versus having to leave at 4:00 AM and jump right into a game off a 10- hour bus ride. It also provides our bus driver Rex with a little break before the long journey home. Join us at Buffalo Wild Wing’s this Friday and Saturday for our official watch parties. Puck drop is 7:05 PM both nights.
We are a little over a week away from (October 24th and 25th) 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 will have two activations taking place through DASH. The first is a special edition Pink Jersey, signed by the team, with the “#1 Fan” nameplate that will be auctioned off during the weekend and for a few days after. This is the only non-player jersey that will be available this year. Proceeds from the Jersey auction will go to “Think Pink for the Girls” – a local breast cancer support group that supports victims and their families here in Cascade County. The 2nd activation is a team signed and framed 8”x10” photo of the team in their pink jerseys. In addition to these activations, we will also be making a donation to “Think Pink for the Girls” for each fan in attendance each night (this donation is matched by City Chevrolet) plus there will be prizes and baskets donated by Life in Bloom Floral & Gift Boutique, She-Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique and Crow & Owl Nest raffled off each night with proceeds also going to “Think Pink for the Girls”. We look forward to seeing everyone next weekend for our only home games in the month of October in what should be a very special weekend supporting breast cancer awareness.
Player Profile – #44 Riley Hattan (Kalamazoo, MI) 6’0” 235 lbs. FOR – Shoots Left DOB 05/08/2008
Favorite Team: Detroit Red Wings 
Favorite Player: Matthew Tkachuk
Favorite Movie: The Hangover or Fast and Furious
Favorite Actor/Actress: Tom Cruise and Mark Wahlberg
Favorite Food: Mac-n-Cheese
Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Peanut Butter & Jelly
If you were animal: A Honey Badger
Musical Group You Won’t Miss in Concert: Jelly Roll
Music Guaranteed to get you hyped: Rap
Person stuck with on a deserted Island: My Dad
Hobbies other than Hockey: Baseball
Three People you would invite to Dinner: Donald Trump, Wayne Gretzky, Elon Musk
College/University of Choice: Western Michigan University
Like Most About Great Falls: It’s peaceful!
How would you define a successful season: Working as hard as we can with a good mindset to win games!!
Here are the upcoming dates to add to your calendar:
- 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 Health. 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.
- November 7th – Away game at 7:30 PM Puck drop and join our fans at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official Watch Party location.
- November 8th – Away game at 7:30 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