BLAINE, Minn., December 17, 2023 — For the first twenty-five games of the 2023-24 season, the Great Falls Americans played their other seven opponents in the NA3HL’s Frontier Division.
Great Falls, who are now in their tenth season in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) have 16 wins in 26 games (16-10-0-0, 32 pts.) as they participate in the 2023 NA3HL Showcase Tournament.
The #1 Gillette (WY) Wild (25-1-0-1, 51 pts.) and the #2 Helena Bighorns (22-2-0-0, 44 pts.) are currently the only teams in the Frontier Division ahead of the third-place Americans.
The New Jersey Titans is who the Americans were tested by during the first day of the three-day NA3HL’s annual December tournament. The Titans, based out of Middletown, New Jersey, have 14 wins in 27 contests (14-11-1-1) this season in the East Division, where they sit in third place in the six-team division. Only the Northeast Generals (24-2-0-0) and the Norwich Sea Captains (16-9-1-1) are ahead of them in the standings. New Jersey, under the direction of Andrey Kapranov, are led by Payton Fobes (13 goals scored) and George Hinds (27 assists and 38 overall points).
The Americans and Titans both have met on the ice at the 2021 NA3HL Showcase where Great Falls prevailed 6-2 over the New Jersey NA3HL team.
Great Falls Head Coach and General Manager, Greg Sears has five returning players coming back from the 2022-23 season in his sixth season as the team’s head mentor. Aaron Leaf (5 goals, 8 assists), Phil Harrell (2 goals, 12 assists), Sam Duehlmeier (3 goals, 7 assists), and Noah Osiowy (1 assist). Goaltender Ryan Stowe is 6-2-0-0 in 11 games with 292 saves (317 attempts) and a save percentage of 0.921. Additionally, a pair of newcomers lead the pack for the Americans with Ty O’Bey leading with 21 assists and 38 points while Dmitri Kuleshov tops with 21 goals scored.
The Showcase tournament that runs from December 17 through December 19 at the NSC Super Rink in Blaine Minnesota is held yearly in the month of December. The event held before the league takes their winter break offers all 34 teams across five divisions (East, Frontier, Central, West and South) a chance to compete in teams outside of their normal division. Each squad plays three games that do count in the overall standings with many NCAA and ACHA college scouts in attendance. Great Falls will be the home team in their Sunday game against the New Jersey Titans and will also close out the tournament as the designated home team against the Louisiana Drillers on Tuesday. The Minnesota-based Alexandria Blizzard will serve as the home team on the scoreboard for Monday’s tilt with Great Falls.
The #3 Great Falls Americans (16-10-0-0) received two goals from Aiden Kennedy and Sebe Perez and that was enough to win their 16th game of the season by downing the New Jersey Titans 14-11-1-1), 2-1 during the first day of action at the 2023 NA3HL Showcase Tournament in Blaine, Minnesota on Sunday evening.
George Hinds of the Titans, New Jersey’s leading assist maker and points scored, netted his eleventh goal to help his team take the early 1-0 lead after the first period. Collin Smargon earned his fifth assist for New Jersey. Both teams combined for 17 first period shots.
In the middle period, the Americans successfully put the puck in the net once. Tariq Khan and Sam Duehlmeier tacked on their sixth and seventh assists, respectively on the Aiden Kennedy lamplighter for the only goal of the middle period by either squad. Great Falls’ offense secured 27 shots while holding New Jersey to nine before the second intermission.
Great Falls’ Sebe Perez broke the tie off a pass from Aiden Kennedy, who scored in the second frame with the first three minutes of the third period. Perez’s goal proved to be the eventual game winner as the Titans offense was shut down for the final 17 minutes of regulation.
Great Falls outshot New Jersey in two of the three periods for a total of 33. The Titans took 10 of their 19 in the final frame.
The Americans, the home team on the scoreboard, had six minor infractions with half of them occurring in the second stanza. Eight minor penalties were whistled against New Jersey. Both squads converted one of their power play chances.
Ryan Stowe won his seventh game in twelve appearances (7-2-0-0) by redirecting 18 of the 19 shots he faced by NA3HL’s East Division squad. New Jersey’s Aidan Patterson lost his second game in three appearances. The Arizona native finished with 31 saves.
NOTES: Great Falls Americans coach Greg Sears is two victories shy of 300 victories in his coaching career. He could accomplish that milestone before the Christmas break by winning two of the three games at the 2023 NA3HL Showcase starting on Sunday, December 17 when the Americans will be at the prestigious tornament in Blaine, Minnesota for three days.
The Americans had two players receive Honorable Mention honors for the weekly “NA3HL Stars of the Week” for the week ending December 10, 2023. Forward Cade Bendigo and defenseman Ty Brander were the honorees for Great Falls for their play against the Yellowstone (WY) Quake on the road last week.
In this week’s “Baldy’s Puck Drop” Newsletter, Americans team owner Matt Leaf has a player profile of forward Zac Orwig, Americans travel plans to the NA3HL Showcase, sponsor information, and recognition of Cade Bendigo and Ty Brander as Honorable Mention “Stars of the Week” honors in the NA3HL from this past week.
After the Christmas break, the Americans will travel to Butte, Montana for two games against the Irish on January 5-6 before Great Falls returns to the friendly confines of the Great Falls Ice Plex for two games against the Bozeman Ice Dogs on January 12-13.
