The #2 Great Falls Americans (8-4-0-0) have seven wins in eleven games after the first six weeks of the 2024-25 NA3HL junior hockey regular season.
The Americans have played four of the seven other NA3HL Frontier Division squads. They are 2-2 against the Sheridan (WY) Hawks, 1-2 against the defending NA3HL National Champion, Helena Bighorns, and won both of their contests against the Bozeman Ice Dogs (2-0) and the Badlands (SD) Sabres (2-0).
On Friday, the Americans hosted their fifth opponent in the #8 Yellowstone Quake (0-13-0-0), who are based out of Cody, WY. Luke Fry begins his second season at the helm of the Quake, who returns four players off their 2023-24 roster including Troy Czapar, Cooper Cunningham, Wesley Amos, and Logan Nichols. Newcomer Max Goulden leads the young squad with four goals while Wesley Amos has a team-high of three assists.
Meanwhile, Ty O’Bey has a team leading nine goals and Garren Narvaez has gathered 12 total assists for coach Greg Sears’ team.
Since the 2022-23 season, Great Falls is 8-2 against the Quake, including 4-0 last year. The Quake’s last victory against the Americans occurred on March 4, 2022, where the Wyoming team won, 4-1 to conclude the 2022-23 regular season in Cody, Wyoming.
Great Falls was looking for their third consecutive win in the month of October while Yellowstone was trying for their first win.
The #2 Great Falls Americans improved to 6-1 at the Great Falls Ice Plex as they dominated the #8 Yellowstone (WY) Quake, 12-0 on Friday evening in Great Falls. Forwards Blake Komrofske and Garren Narvaez combined for four goals and three assists in the Americans eighth win of the season. Goaltender Kaden Rhyder accrued his eighth win of the season.
With the Sheridan (WY) Hawks 6-4 road loss to the Butte Irish, the Americans have moved up to second spot in the updated NA3HL Frontier Division standings as of Friday night.
Great Falls’ offense lit up the lamp six times during the opening period. Six different Americans registered goals including Blayne Jusczak, Ty Brander, Ty O’Bey, Aiden Kennedy, Garren Narvaez and Zac Orwig. John Lang and Aiden Kennedy were responsible for two assists while Ty O’Bey, Sebe Perez, Cal Laggis, Matt Beazley, Easton Kennedy, Zac Orwig, Garren Narvaez and Fisher Hannesson had one. The Americans blanked the visiting Quake, 6-0. Yellowstone netminder Matthew Neeser started the game but lasted just eight minutes allowing five goals. He was replaced by Nate Whitson, who stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced for the final eleven minutes. Great Falls made 28 shots while Yellowstone had seven shots.
The Americans switched goaltenders before the second period began as Kale Whitt saw action for the third time this season replacing starter Kaden Rhyder. The home team scored four more goals eleven minutes into the second period. Blake Komrofske scored two goals (four overall this season) in the period while Garren Narvaez chipped in his second of the night and EJ Sanchez produced his first goal as an Americans player. Blayne Jusczak, Gavin Denis, Matt Beazley, Blake Komrofske, Zac Orwig, Sebe Perez, Fisher Hannesson, and Keegan Hanson collected the assists. After two periods, Great Falls scored ten goals by taking 49 shots. The Quake was held to nine shots with two shots attempted in the middle period.
The host squad put in two additional scoring drives in the third frame with Cal Laggis and Carson Sears providing the lamplighters. Carson Sears accumulated his first goal with the Americans 95 seconds into the third period. Easton Kennedy and Blake Komrofske earned the assists. Laggis’ second goal of the season came with Blayne Jusczak and Ty O’Bey setting up the play with 6:17 to play.
Six players provided a huge night of scoring for Coach Greg Sears’ squad. Blake Komrofske scored two goals and dished out two assists while Garren Narvaez finished with two goals and one assist. Four players (Aiden Kennedy, Zac Orwig, Ty O’Bey, and Blayne Jusczak) scored once and collected two assists.
Great Falls attempted half of their 56 total shots in the first period. Yellowstone gathered seven of their ten shots before the first intermission.
Carson Sears’ third period goal helped the Americans successfully get their one power play opportunity. The Quake were denied their three power play chances.
Kaden Rhyder played the first twenty minutes and stopped all seven shots by Yellowstone’s offense. The Pennsylvania goaltender is now 8-3-0-0 on the season after eleven games. Kale Whitt, Rhyder’s backup, swatted away three shots over the second and third periods in his third appearance for Great Falls. Matthew Neeser of the Quake fell to 0-7-0-0. Backup Nate Whitson played for 51 minutes and made 44 saves.
FRONTIER DIVISION UPDATE: The top-ranked Helena Bighorns (11-1-0-0) trailed the #6 Badlands (SD) Sabres (4-5-1-1) 2-1 after two periods of play on Friday night but outscored the South Dakota NA3HL franchise, 4-0 in the third for the 5-2 road victory in Rapid City, South Dakota. Finn Theriault of the Bighorns scored twice and had one assist in the third period to pace Helena. Thayne Coston and Patrick Gosselin scored in the second period for the Sabres. Malik Johnson stayed undefeated (8-0-0-0) as he redirected 25 shots for the winning team. Lochlin Jackson (1-1-1-1) acquired 47 saves in his first regulation loss for Badlands.
The #5 Gillette (WY) Wild (5-5-1-0) and the #4 Bozeman Ice Dogs (6-3-0-1) each tallied three goals apiece after three periods of play on Friday evening in Bozeman, Montana. After neither team registered a goal in the five-minute overtime, a shootout was necessary to declare a winner. Gillette’s Chase Hapka and Max Arlt each converted a goal during the shootout for the 4-3 shootout win. Devin Bruns and Andrew Kaunas failed to get the puck by Wild goaltender Tate Cothern. Cothern raised his record to 3-3-0-0 with his 42-save performance. Isaac Weatherford (33 saves) is still seeking his first win (0-1-0-1) with his first shootout setback.
Kazden Stineff scored three of the #7 Butte Irish’s six goals to lead his team to a 6-4 win over the #3 Sheridan (WY) Hawks. Butte is now 5-5-0-0 on the year. Daniel Shelden scored one goal and two assists for the Hawks (7-4-2-0), who fell to the third spot in the Frontier Division standings after #2 Great Falls’ 12-0 shutout victory against the #8 Yellowstone Quake. Butte’s Tim Nanson picked up his fourth win in six games (4-2-0-0) as he recorded 38 saves. John Simon fell to 3-3-0-0 despite 41 saves for Sheridan.
