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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 98: March 5, 2026
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: As much as last week brought some adversity to our team, this week produced some workmanlike efforts and an extremely positive trip to Bozeman on Tuesday. The Americans handled Gillette over the weekend with a 5-2 win Saturday and a 6-3 win on Sunday. Cooper Clouse led the way with 7 points over the weekend, earning him NA3HL Frontier Division 2nd Star of the Week and extending his scoring streak to 33 games. Following the game on Sunday, the Americans hosted our Annual “Skate with the Americans” and it was great to see a large turnout of kids and adult fans lace them up for a chance to spend some time with our players and vice-versa. A good time was had by all.
On Tuesday morning, 18 of our players plus Coaches, Sears, Leaf and Bring hopped on the bus for a trip to Bozeman for a noon puck drop. This was the make-up game for when our bus broke down on February 21st and, although the result would not have any impact on our placement in the standings, it was a must-win game for Bozeman to keep their playoffs hope alive heading onto the final weekend. The Americans went with a younger roster and left most of their older players at home for a brief morning skate. The goal was to give some of the guys we have been leaning on a little break and keep them healthy for the playoffs while getting our younger guys some more ice time and experience. The result was the best “Team” effort of the season and a 4-0 win (with two empty net goals). Gunnar Bergo made 38 saves in goal to record the shutout, including a penalty shot in the 2nd period while the game was still scoreless. It was a great confidence boost for our younger players, and staff, while showing the depth we have as 57% of our regular season scoring was watching the game back in Great Falls. It was also a solid message that if you trust the process and play the game the right way, the results will be there.
I promised to provide some more information on the Team USA Paralympic Sled Hockey team competing in the Paralympic Games in Italy
starting this weekend. The 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will take place March 7-15, 2026, in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The sled hockey tournament will be staged in Milan. Eight teams will compete in the tournament, divided into two groups for the preliminary round. The U.S. will compete in Group A alongside China, Germany, and host nation Italy. Group B will consist of Canada, Czechia, Japan, and Slovakia. Following a round-robin style preliminary round, the top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals on March 13, with the medal round set for March 15.
The United States enters this tournament as four-time defending champions and has medaled in six of its seven Paralympic appearances (gold – 2002, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022; bronze – 2006).
Let’s Go Places!
This weekend is always a little bittersweet as we finish off the regular season. Friday, we head to Butte for
our final road game of the season with a 7:30 puck drop and our official watch party taking place at Buffalo Wild Wings. On Saturday, we close out the regular season at home versus Butte as we acknowledge our age-out players, our billet families and our fans during Toyota Fan and Billet Appreciation Night. Puck drop is 7:05 PM, but you will want to arrive early (by 6:45) to participate in the ceremony where we recognize our 2005 birth year players who are playing their last regular season Junior Hockey game. This group has played a critical role in the success of our team with their leadership both on and off the ice, including players who have been part of the Americans family for two or three seasons. We will certainly miss them but also want to send them off with the absolute best wishes as they continue to pursue their dreams both on and off the ice.
Then during the first intermission, we will honor those families who have gone above and beyond in hosting our players throughout the
season. Our billet families open their home and welcome our players as part of their families to create a positive environment for them to pursue their dream by playing junior hockey. We are so appreciative of the contributions they make to our program and the culture we are creating to promote development of these young men both on and off the ice. A special thanks goes out to Life in Bloom Floral and Gift Boutique for providing the flowers for the ceremony and to Mike Noel Photography for providing the photos. Thank you to the following who have hosted our players this season and are very much a part of the Americans’ family:
| Mark and Martha Cappis: | Hosting Jarret Averett, Gordon Jennings and Gunnar Bergo |
| Aj and Amanda Cronk: | Hosting Owen Cronk |
| Ty and Britny Fayden: | Hosting Fisher Hannesson and Keegan Hanson |
| Mike and Katie Hanning: | Hosting Colton Bacon and Wyatt Hanna |
| Zach and Eliza Hattan: | Hosting Riley Hattan |
| Edward Perez and Maria Segoviaz: | Hosting Tallen Caron and Jaxen Savage |
| Victoria Saidel: | Hosting Brennan Pierce |
| Jim and Tony Quick: | Hosting Cole Murphy and Kiefer Lundmark |
| Chris and Shari Sanchez: | Hosting EJ Sanchez |
| Greg and Serena Sears: | Hosting Reid Lezubski and Carson Sears |
| Ryan and Krista Smith: | Hosting Cooper Clouse, Kaden Rhyder and Bryce Webb |
| Jody and Sharlene Staats: | Hosting Ethan Miller and AJ Prioli |
| Adam and Pam Stanczak: | Hosting Gavin Denis and Aiden Mulheran |
| Kris and Laura Steichen: | Hosting Wyatt Rust and Jarod Lemieux |
| Marc and Lisa Troyer: | Hosting Jase Troyer |
And a very special thank you goes to Kris Steichen for serving as our billet coordinator!
There will also be prizes from Toyota and gift cards from several of our partners that will be handed out to our fans as we show our appreciation for their support all season. We look forward to seeing you at the game on Saturday night!
Now, a little bit about the playoffs coming up. It is very likely we will be facing off with Helena during the first round of the playoffs, although Helena does still have an outside chance of catching Sheridan for the #1 seed. We will likely know for sure after the results of Friday night’s games are known. If it is Helena, we will be playing game one of the best of three series in Helena on Friday, March 13th, at 7:05 PM. Game two will then be in Great Falls on Saturday, March 14th, at 7:05 PM with game three, if necessary, at Helena on Sunday with a time TBD. As soon as we are 100% locked in, advanced tickets will be available online and if possible, we will be selling advanced tickets at our game on Saturday. Playoff tickets are considered separate from regular season tickets (except season VIP passes are honored during all home playoff games), so playoff tickets will be required to be purchased, and you are encouraged to secure your tickets in advance as we will be expecting a capacity crowd. Stay tuned to our website and social media channels for the latest playoff information.
Player Profile – #17 Owen Cronk (Great Falls, MT) 6’0” 180 lbs. DEF – Shoots Left DOB 06/20/2007
Favorite Team: New York Rangers 
Favorite Player: Chris Kreider
Favorite Movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite Actor/Actress: Adam Sandler
Favorite Food: Steak
Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Pasta
If you were animal: An Eagle — so I can fly
Musical Group You Won’t Miss in Concert: Metallica
Pre-Game Hype Music: Rock
One Person to be stuck with on a deserted island: My Dad
Hobbies other than Hockey: Fishing, Dirt Bikes
Three People you would invite to Dinner: Steve Irwin, Elon Musk, Abraham Lincoln
College/University of Choice: University of Montana
Like Most About Great Falls: The Community
How would you define a successful season: Coming together as a team and winning the Fraser Cup.
Here are the upcoming dates to add to your calendar:
- March 6th – Away game at Butte. 7:30 PM Puck drop and join our fans at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official Watch Party.
- March 7th – Home game versus Butte. 7:05 PM puck Drop. Toyota Fan and Billet Appreciation Night!
- March 11th-15th – First round Dates, times, locations TBD.
- March 18th-22nd – Frontier Division Dates, times, locations TBD.
- March 25th -30th – Fraser Cup Finals in Louis, MO.
- June 19th -21st –Great Falls Americans Annual Prospects Camp.
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* | Special Olympics of Montana* | TDS Fiber |
| Hoglund’s Work and Western Wear | High Plains Wealth Management |
Thank you for being a part of our hockey family!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com