The #3 Great Falls Americans (7-4-0-0) and the #5 Badlands (SD) Sabres (4-4-1-1) started out slow offensively as the first period went scoreless. Great Falls found a way to score three goals over the second and third periods for a 3-1 win. Easton Kennedy, Blake Komrofske, and Blayne Jusczak all scored for the host team. Zach Vockler scored once for the Sabres. Kaden Rhyder received 27 saves for the Americans while Badlands goalie Hunter Oger stopped 38 shots. The Badlands loss pushed them back to fifth in the NA3HL Frontier Division standings while Bozeman defeated the Yellowstone Quake, 6-0 to retake the fourth position. Great Falls remains in third behind the Helena Bighorns (10-1-0-0) and the Sheridan (WY) Hawks (7-3-2-0).
Saturday evening was the second game of the two-game series against their South Dakota opponents. Great Falls was hoping for the weekend sweep after going 1-1 the previous weekend on the road in Sheriidan, Wyoming against the Sheridan Hawks . After tonight, Great Falls and Badlands will see each other on the ice for one more weekend series in Rapid City, South Dakota in February 2025.
Four goals is all the #3 Great Falls Americans needed to earn a 4-1 victory over the #5 Badlands (SD) Sabres on Saturday evening at the Great Falls Ice Plex in Great Falls, Montana. Blake Komrofske, Aiden Kennedy, Ty O’Bey and John Lang tallied the goals. The victory by the Americans gave them the weekend sweep over their South Dakota counterparts.
Blake Komrofske, who scored his first goal in Friday’s 3-1 victory, secured his second goal of the season off the stick of Masen Kerr, who set up his sixth assist. Ty Brander provided his first assist on the Americans first period score. The lone score occurred with 5:25 remaining. The Great Falls defense allowed two shots-on-goal by the Sabres while they accumulated 21.
The Americans added two successful scoring drives in the middle stanza. Forwards Aiden Kennedy and Ty O’Bey each put the puck in the net for the 3-0 lead. Zac Orwig and Ty O’Bey earned the assists on Kennedy’s goal 72 seconds into the period with the Sabres in the penalty box. Six minutes later, Garren Narvaez and Cal Laggis set up O’Bey’s eighth goal of the season.
Great Falls sailed through the final period of regulation tacking on one score. John Lang scored the Americans fourth goal with helpers from Garren Narvaez and Matt Beazley. The Sabres offense led by Zach Vockler stopped the shutout by scoring with 11:38 left. Vockler’s ninth score was assisted by Dylan Woolstenhulme and Patrick Gosselin.
The home team acquired 42 shots while holding the Sabres to 25.
The sixty-minute contest saw 21 infractions called between these two Frontier Division clubs. Both teams went 1-for-6 on the power play.
Kaden Rhyder picked up his seventh win in ten appearances (7-3-0-0) for Great Falls. He accrued 24 saves while allowing one third period goal. Jackson Roethler (0-1-0-0), a goaltender from Minnesota, created 38 saves in his first game with Badlands.
FRONTIER DIVISION UPDATE: The Helena Bighorns (10-1-0-0) survived a scare by the #2 Sherian (WY) Hawks (7-3-2-0) by winning in overtime, 4-3. Five of the six regulation goals were made in the second period. Finn Theriault led the Bighorns with two goals. Vincent Leaf and Kiefer Dunham chipped in the goals for Sheridan. Each team scored three goals before the second intermission. The scoreless third period came and went but two minutes into the five-minute extra period, Jeffrey Hershberger registered the game-winning score to keep the Bighorns from suffering their second loss. Malik Johnson (7-0-0-0) redirected 27 shots in 62 minutes for the Bighorns. TJ Wonnacott got the start for the visiting Hawks. He made 41 saves but suffered his second overtime loss (3-0-2-0) this season.
The #4 Bozeman Ice Dogs (6-3-0-0) scored six goals just like they did on Friday night and easily defeated the #8 Yellowstone (WY) Quake (0-12-0-0), 6-2 in Cody, Wyoming to complete the weekend sweep. The Ice Dogs led 4-0 after the first period with Barrett Becker scoring twice with Sage Courchene and TJ Kelsey each adding one goal. Devin Bruns of Bozeman scored in the second and third periods. Jake Ricci and Max Goulden tacked on the goals for the Quake. Oscar Gribauval (1-0-0-0) gathered 16 saves in his debut with the Ice Dogs. Nate Whitson and Nicolas Ulyanov each saw action in the net for Yellowstone. Whitson (0-3-0-0) took the loss while Ulyanov swatted away 56 shots.
The #6 Gillette (WY) Wild (4-5-1-0) and the #7 Butte Irish (4-5-0-0) are idle this weekend and will return to action next weekend.
NOTES: The Great Falls Americans Booster Club is raffling off “RTIC’ Coolers with three different prizes.
FIRST PRIZE: 52 Quart Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler with freezable divider, 30 can soft pack cooler, large ultra tough tote, (4) 30 oz. tumblers, and Meat Package from Central Avenue Meats.
SECOND PRIZE: 32 Quart Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler with freezable divider, 20 can soft pack cooler, small ultra tough tote, (2) 30 oz. tumblers, and Meat Package from Central Avenue Meats.
THIRD PRIZE: 22 Quart Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler, 12 can soft pack cooler, small ultra tough tote, (2) 30 oz. tumblers, and 10 lbs. of burger from Central Avenue Meats.
The drawing will be held at the October 25th home game against the Butte Irish and you don’t have to be present to win. All proceeds go to the Great Falls Americans hockey team.
Contact Adam Stanczak for tickets at 406-564-6771.
UPCOMING EVENTS: Friday, October 25th: “Think Pink for the Girls” Breast Cancer Awareness Night: The Americans will be wearing special edition pink jerseys and a special figure skating exhibition by the Great Falls Figure Skating Club during the first intermission. Life in Bloom Floral and Gift Boutique and She Bare Wax and Sugar will be raffling off gift baskets with several raffle items. The Great Falls Ice Plex ice will be painted pink. The special edition jerseys (signed by the player) will then be auctioned off with all proceeds going to “Think Pink For the Girls.” The auction will start during the morning of the October 25th and run through Sunday evening, November 3rd. Be sure to register with DASH (QR Code) and be ready to place your bid on your favorite player’s pink jersey for a great cause.
The Americans will donate $1 for everyone in attendance that night (matched by City Chevrolet) and will also offer a special signed and framed 8”x10” team photo in the Pink Jerseys for sale. A very special thanks goes out to Benefis Health-Sletten Cancer Institute for making this all possible as our partner who has made this event possible. Let’s pack the Ice Plex for “Pink” Night!
