Great Falls Americans Hockey Release Their 2024-25 NA3HL Regular Season Game Schedule

The Great Falls Americans along with the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) have released their regular season game schedule for the upcoming 2024-25 season. The NA3HL is entering their 15th season, and the league serves as the only certified USA Hockey Tier III Junior league that consists of five divisions spread across 19 states with 35 teams playing 47 regular season contests from September 6, 2024, until March 9, 2025. The Americans returned to postseason play during the 2023-24 season after a one-year absence. Great Falls will return many players from their playoff squad along with some new signees that hope to continue their regular season success from last year and qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The 2024-25 season schedule is highlighted by rematches from two teams that played at the 2024 Fraser Cup National Tournament. Great Falls (22-24-0-2) faced off against the Helena Bighorns (52-2-1-0) in the 2024 Frontier Division Semi-Finals where they fell in two games in the best-of-three series. The Helena (MT) Bighorns defeated their rival, the Gillette (WY) Wild in two games for the Frontier Division title. Both teams went to the Fraser Cup tournament with the Bighorns winning the NA3HL league title. This season, Great Falls faces Helena eight times with three occurring during the month of September. The Americans travel to Gillette, Wyoming on November 8-9 and then will play in Great Falls on January 17-18. All contests against the Bighorns and the Wild will begin at 7:05PM (MST). The league released the Frontier Division’s 47-regular season game schedule in addition to the other four divisions (Central, East, West, and South) on Thursday, June 27, 2024. All regular season games, which begin on Friday, September 6 and will end on Sunday, March 9, 2025, are subject to change. All teams will also play three regular season games (neutral site) at the league-wide 2024 NA3HL Showcase taking place on December 15-17, 2024, at the Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota. Opponents will be chosen closer to the tournament. “The NA3HL not only places players directly to the NCAA and ACHA level it is the only league of its kind that advances players to the NAHL” said NAHL Commissioner and President Mark Frankenfeld. “If your playing ability is a fit for the NA3HL then you now have a path to develop, gain exposure and advance not only to college hockey but to college hockey through the NAHL.” Great Falls is entering their fourteenth season of junior hockey (2011-12 – Present) and will have 22 home dates at the Great Falls Ice Plex as they begin their eleventh season of competition in the Frontier Division of the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The Americans will begin their first month of the season playing four of their seven games in Great Falls. The Americans will face the Sheridan (WY) Hawks (Cody, WY) and the Bozeman Ice Dogs each twice followed by three games against the Helena Bighorns. Great Falls will open up the season in front of their home fans with a two-game series against the Sheridan (WY) Hawks on September 6-7. Most of the home games will begin this season at 7:05PM (MST). The Americans will report this season at the end of August under the direction of Head Coach/General Manager, Greg Sears, who enters his seventh season at the helm of the Great Falls junior hockey squad. “We are excited about the schedule for the upcoming season,” said Great Falls Americans Head Coach and General Manager, Greg Sears. “We expect the division to be tough from top to bottom. We are looking forward to kicking off the new season against Sheridan on September 6th!” There were no new teams added to the NA3HL’s Frontier Division for the upcoming season. Great Falls will compete against three other Montana NA3HL squads including the Bozeman Ice Dogs, Helena Bighorns and the Butte Irish as well as three from the state of Wyoming (Yellowstone Quake from Cody, WY, Gillette (WY) Wild and the Sheridan Hawks) and one from Rapid City, South Dakota (Badlands Sabres). The NA3HL also announced three events during the 2024-25 season including the annual NA3HL (league-wide) Showcase taking place from December 15-17, 2024, in Blaine, Minnesota that feature all 35 teams. The NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament will return February 17-18, 2025, live from Plymouth, Michigan’s USA Hockey Arena. The season concludes with the 2025 NA3HL Fraser Cup Championship Tournament that crowns the NA3HL’s playoff champion (March 26-30) in St. Louis, Missouri. In December’s Showcase tournament (December 15-17) in Blaine, Minnesota each of the 35 league members will play against other division teams featuring three games in three days. The contests will count in the overall standings and feature coaches and scouts from the NCAA, junior college ranks and the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). The second major event of the season in February is the NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament (TPT) will highlight the NA3HL’s best players in an ‘all-star’ setting. This season, the TPT will take place in Plymouth, Michigan. Finally, the NA3HL will finish off their postseason with a national tournament in late March with the 2025 NA3HL Fraser Cup Tournament held on March 26-30, 2025, in St. Louis, Missouri that will crown a national champion. Prior to the national tournament, the Divisional playoffs will decide which team(s) represents each division at the five-day round-robin tournament.