The Great Falls Americans (10-6-0-0), ranked behind the Helena Bighorns and the Sheridan (WY) Hawks in the NA3HL’s Frontier Division, came off their bye week playing a two-game weekend series against the #6 Gillette (WY) Wild (8-8-1-0) in Wyoming on Friday and Saturday. After Friday’s contest, the Americans have seen all their rivals in the Frontier Division this season.
During the 2023-24 season, the Wild won all four of their regular season contests versus the Americans. In the playoffs, Gillette swept the Bozeman Ice Dogs in the best-of-three Frontier Division Semi-Finals before falling to the eventual NA3HL National Champion, Helena Bighorns in two games. The Wild and Bighorns went to St. Peters, Missouri in March to compete at the 2024 NA3HL Fraser Cup National Tournament where they fell in the national semifinals to Helena.
The Americans are playing their first game in November and are led by Ty O’Bey, the team leader in goals scored (14) and total points (26). Aiden Kennedy contributed 17 assists. Great Falls finished October with a 6-2-0-0 record.
The 2024-25 season for the Wild has seen many challenges for the young Wyoming squad. Gillette has a new coach in Erick Bromberg, who replaced Ethan Hayes, who guided the team the past few seasons and was an assistant with Great Falls during the 2019-20 season. The Wild brought back four players (Chase Hapka, Jayden Rogen, Josh Bieniewicz, and Zach Lebens). Hapka, a forward from Fargo, North Dakota, leads the team with ten goals and 25 points while newcomer Max Arlt has a team-leading 17 assists.
Through seventeen games, they are 8-8-1-0 including two setbacks to start the month of November against the #1 Helena Bighorns (13-1-0-0) after winning three of their six contests in October (3-3-0-0). Two wins came against the winless Yellowstone (WY( Quake and one victory over the Bozeman Ice Dogs.
Great Falls was looking for their third road win of the season.
The #3 Great Falls Americans trailed the #6 Gillette (WY) Wild on the road Friday in Wyoming, 3-1 after the first two periods and fell 6-3 to their Wyoming counterparts at the Spirit Hall Ice Arena in Gillette, Wyoming.
Aiden Kennedy (Great Falls) and Chase Hapka (Gillette) each put the biscuit in the basket for their respective squads during the first period. John Lang and Ty O’Bey assisted on Kennedy’s score with 7:12 left. As the first period expired, Hapka put the puck in the net as Max Arlt and Michael Mckernan earned the assists.
Ryan Kirkman’s second goal for Gillette this season broke the tie for the home team within the first six minutes of the middle period. Tai Kontrac and Zach Lebens set up the play. Gillette increased their advantage over Great Falls (3-1) on a goal by Max Arlt with helpers coming from Braydin Lund and Wylen Cambensy with eight minutes remaining. Great Falls accumulated 22 shots and Gillette had 18 after the first forty minutes.
The Americans cut their deficit to 3-2 during the first 31 seconds of the third frame. Zac Orwig and Masen Kerr made the assists on the first of Garren Narvaez’s two goals. Both squads traded goals with Max Arlt’s second score of the game with Braydin Lund and Landon Metcalfe picking up the assists. Narvaez scored again for the visitors midway through the final period of regulation. Fisher Hannesson an Aiden Kennedy assisted on Great Falls third goal. The Wild scored the final two goals with Tai Kontrac and Wylen Cambensy adding a goal to their resume. Michael Mckernan assisted on both scoring plays and Dylan Peterson and Zach Lebens also contributed assists.
Despite the loss, Great Falls outshot Gillette, 31-25.
The first meeting between these two Frontier Division foes featured just three minor penalties whistled on the host team. Great Falls went 1-for-3 on the power play.
Max Arlt led the Wild by producing two goals and one assist. Arlt’s teammate, Michael Mckernan, registered three assists. Garren Narvaez scored two of the three goals for coach Greg Sears’ squad. Aiden Kennedy had the first scoring drive.
Tate Cothern improved to 4-3-1-0 as the Gillette goaltender accumulated 28 saves. Kaden Rhyder (19 saves) dropped to 9-5-0-0 on the season.
FRONTIER DIVISION UPDATE: The #2 Sheridan (WY) Hawks (11-4-2-0) trailed the #5 Bozeman Ice Dogs (8-6-0-1), 3-2 before the second intermission but a pair of goals by Josh Serino and Elijah White helped the visiting Wyoming team to a 4-3 victory at Haynes Pavilion in Bozeman, Montana on Friday evening. Vincent Leaf, Charles Stow, Josh Serino and Elijah White added the scoring drives for the Hawks. Lex Steckelberg scored in the first stanza and Jude Edgerton and Devin Bruns each scored in the middle period for the Ice Dogs. John Simon picked up his fifth win in eight games for the Hawks. He made 30 saves. Bozeman’s Jack Ryan dropped to 2-3-0-0 but not before gathering 24 saves.
The #4 Butte Irish (9-7-0-0) needed an extra period to get by the #7 Badlands (SD) Sabres (5-9-2-1) in front of their home fans at the Butte Community Ice Center on Friday night. Kazden Stineff, Sebaquien Chlud, Loghan Weber and Keegan Adams led the Irish in their 5-4 overtime win. Adams provided the game-winning lamplighter in overtime. Zach Vockler, Charlie Lorbiecki, Thayne Coston and Gaven Marx each scored for the visiting Sabres. Marx added the game-tying goal in the third period to force the extra period. Manny Pantow (3-3-0-0) was the winning goaltender for Butte. He had 54 saves in 62 minutes. Hunter Oger suffered his first overtime loss (2-2-1-0) in eight games played for Badlands.
The #1 Helena Bighorns (13-1-0-0) and the #8 Yellowstone (WY) Quake are idle this week and will return to action next weekend (November 15-16).
