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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 99: March 12, 2026
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: Playoff hockey has arrived! It is a special time of the year, and I might be a little biased, but there is nothing quite like playoff hockey. Before we get into this weekend, I will provide a quick recap on last weekend. Our squad, hopefully, learned a valuable life lesson on Friday night in that we are never good enough to simply show up and go through the motions. Even though they outshot Butte 68-18 and had a 3-1 lead late in the game, they lacked the energy and crispness they need this time of the year to get the job done and fell 4-3 in overtime. Saturday was a solid bounce back with an 8-0 win after outshooting Butte 81-21. Kaden Rhyder recorded the shutout with his division leading 17th win and we had seven different goal scorers in a solid effort. Cooper Clouse ended his regular season with a 35-game scoring streak and led the Frontier Division in scoring with 88 points.
There were two very special ceremonies during our final regular season home game. You met our billet families in last week’s edition, and we were pleased to recognize them during the first intermission. The players were introduced and had an opportunity to personally thank their billet families at center ice and take a photo that will provide both a lasting memory of their time together. We were then able to take a photo of the entire Great Falls Americans family, including players, staff and our billet families. The billet families play such a critical role in our success by opening their homes to our players and providing them with a welcoming environment away from the rink. It truly is an honored Junior Hockey tradition, and I can’t thank our amazing billet families enough for what they do for our players.
The other ceremony that took place was honoring our 2005 birth year players who are aging out of Junior Hockey prior to the game. Playing Junior Hockey is a special commitment by young men who are pursuing a dream. The players we are recognizing have a passion for the game of hockey and the desire to play as long as they can. They have achieved a high level of skill, but more importantly a passion for the sport we love so much. Unfortunately, their regular season Junior Hockey career ended Saturday night – but for most of these young men, this is just the beginning of the next chapter in their lives and we hope the memories of being part of the Americans’ family will contribute to their future success. They are:
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#4 Brennan Pierce Derry, New Hampshire 78 Junior Hockey Games 13 games with the Americans |
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#10 Ethan Miller Mount Pleasant, PA 91 Junior Hockey Games 33 games with the Americans |
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#15 Fisher Hannesson (Captain) Fargo, North Dakota 86 Junior Hockey Games All 86 with the Americans |
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#16 Jarod Lemieux Geraldton, Ontario 64 Junior Hockey Games 32 games with the Americans |
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#19 Keegan Hanson Fargo, North Dakota 88 Junior Hockey Games All 88 with the Americans |
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#27 Cooper Clouse (Assistant Captain) West Fargo, North Dakota 75 Junior Hockey Games 65 games with the Americans |
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#28 AJ Prioli Weymouth, Massachusetts 112 Junior Hockey Games 28 games with the Americans |
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#1 Kaden Rhyder Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania 87 Junior Hockey Games All 87 with the Americans |
Congratulations to our 2005 birth year players for their successful careers and thanks for putting their trust in the Great Falls Americans Family! In the coming weeks, you’ll learn more about their future plans and their college choices.
The playoffs throughout the NA3HL are in full swing this week with 24 teams participating in six division semi-final best of three series. In the Frontier Division, the top seeded Sheridan Hawks are playing the 4th seed Badlands Sabres while 2nd seeded Helena is playing your Americans. The Sheridan-Badlands series is Wednesday, Friday and Saturday while us and Helena are facing off on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, if necessary. The winners of each series will then face-off in the division finals next week with the higher remaining seed having home ice advantage. If – and I don’t want to jump the gun because there is a lot of work to do – the Americans advance, the tentative plan is to host game one of the division finals next Wednesday night (March 18th). For the up-to-date playoff information, please stay tuned to www.greatfallsamericans.com and our social media outlets for the latest information.
Game two of our series with Helena will be at the Ice Plex on Saturday night. We are expecting a monster crowd as all our fans will be there along with a large contingent from Helena. Seating is limited at the Ice Plex, so our fans are encouraged to arrive early and make sure our stands are filled with Americans’ fans. Purchasing your tickets online in advance is encouraged so we have a handle on the attendance numbers, but there will also be tickets available at the door. Just a quick reminder, regular season VIP tickets are valid for the playoffs, but all other tickets must be purchased for the playoff games. Of course, all away games can be viewed on NAHLTV and you can join other passionate fans at Buffalo Wild Wings for our official watch party.
Finally, a quick update on Team USA at the Paralympics in Italy. They survived the preliminary round outscoring their opponents 34-2 and will face Czechia in the semi-finals at 6:35 AM on Friday morning. The Gold Medal game is Sunday at 8:05 AM – if you haven’t checked it out yet the games can be viewed on Peacock and it is a great watch for hockey and non-hockey fans.
Here are the upcoming dates to add to your calendar:
- March 13th – Away game at Helena 7:05 Official Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings.
- March 14th – Home Game versus Helena Puck drop 7:05 PM.
- March 15th – Away game at Helena (If Necessary). Official Watch party at Buffalo Wild
- March 18th-22nd – Frontier Division Dates, times, locations TBD.
- March 25th -30th – Fraser Cup Finals in St. Louis, MO.
- June 19th-21st – Great Falls Americans Annual Prospects
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