It has been a challenging task coming up with any victories for the #3 Great Falls Americans (21-11-3-0) when they have faced the #7 Gillette (WY) Wild (15-19-1-0) this season.
Great Falls is 0-3-0-0 against the Wild during the 2024-25 NA3HL junior hockey season with one head-to-head meeting remaining on Saturday night in Great Falls.
During Friday’s contest at the Great Falls Ice Plex, both squads were even (2-2) after the second period. In the final period of regulation, Gillette scored three goals and allowed one as the Wyoming visitors posted a 5-3 victory. Tai Kontrec and Max Arlt led the way with one goal and two assists each for Gillette. Ty O’Bey, Chase Hapka and Jayden Rogen, two skaters who started the season with the Wild, tacked on the goals for Great Falls as they were denied their 22nd victory. After 19 home games, they are 14-3-1-0. Austin Trieber rejected 43 shots in the net for Gillette. Kaden Rhyder had 36 saves in the loss.
Gillette is the only team the Americans have faced in the NA3HL’s Frontier Division without picking up at least one victory. Great Falls has one last chance, could they end their season series with a win over the Gillette, Wyoming based NA3HL franchise?
The #7 Gillette (WY) Wild earned the season series sweep over the #3 Great Falls Americans by surviving a comeback attempt by the Americans at the end of regulation to gather a 5-4 win in overtime on Saturday night at the Great Falls Ice Plex. Gillette forward Riley Schmidt scored two goals for the Wild in their 15th win of the season. Gavin Denis scored two of the four goals for Great Falls.
Great Falls was the recipient of the first goal of the contest as Jace Troyer and EJ Sanchez each picked up his second assist of the season when he connected with Gavin Denis for his fourth score of the year with 13:24 remaining in the first stanza. Ty O’Bey lifted the Americans to a two-goal lead as his slapshot sailed over Gillette goaltender Austin Trieber for the easy score. Chase Hapka and John Lang set up the power play score for the host team. Great Falls totaled fourteen shots while limiting Gillette to nine as the first period expired.
Early in the middle period, Gillette cut the Americans lead in half (2-1) as Riley Schmidt found the back of the net with assistance from Tai Kontrec and Max Arlt. The host team increased their lead to 3-1 four minutes after the Gillette score. Cooper Clouse and Matt Beazley assisted on a goal by Garren Narvaez. The Wild’s offense rounded out the period by scoring three unanswered goals in the last seven minutes as Max Arlt, Dylan Peterson and Riley Schmidt each put the biscuit in the basket. Brady Johnson assisted on two scoring drives while Jonathan Odgers, Max Arlt, Caden Graham and Beau Delich each garnered one assist. Great Falls replaced starting goaltender Kaden Rhyder with Kale Witt. Gillette led 4-3 as the Wild outshot the Americans 19-9 after the first intermission.
Gavin Denis scored the equalizer with 8:41 remaining in regulation for the Americans. EJ Sanchez added his second assist of the night (third assist overall), and Ty Brander also contributed his third assist of the season. An overtime was needed as both clubs could not find a way to score again.
After assisting on two scoring plays in the second frame, Gillette’s Brady Johnson put in the game-winning tally with 2:13 left in the five-minute extra period to send the Wild home with the weekend sweep over Great Falls. Tai Kontrec and Beau Delich offered the assistance.
Gillette’s offense attempted 34 of their 43 shots after the first intermission. Great Falls finished with 36 shots with 14 occurring in the first stanza.
The NA3HL on-ice officials called eight combined minor penalties that resulted in 16 minutes of time spent off the ice. Both Frontier Division squads took advantage and scored on one of their power play opportunities.
Riley Schmidt led the way for Wyoming with two goals while four players recorded two assists each (EJ Sanchez, Tai Kontrec, Max Arlt, and Beau Delich). Gavin Denis racked up two goals and EJ Sanchez assisted on two scoring plays for the home team.
Austin Trieber (5-6-0-0) produced 32 saves on Saturday after gathering 43 in Friday’s win over Great Falls. Kale Witt replaced starting goaltender Kaden Rhyder (nine saves) in the second period and suffered his first overtime loss. The first-year goaltender from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota is now 1-1-1-0 as he ended the contest with 29 saves.
FRONTIER DIVISION UPDATE: The top-ranked Helena Bighorns (28-3-1-1) showed why they are one of the top teams in the NA3HL this season as they blanked the visiting #8 Yellowstone (WY) Quake (1-35-1-0), 6-0 for their second consecutive shutout this weekend. Helena’s offense amassed 95 shots while Yellowstone attempted ten (shots). Ty Schell led Helena’s offense with two goals and one assist. Caden Feinstein also produced two goals for the Bighorns. Branson Appelman has now won six of his seven games (6-1-0-0) by swatting away all ten shots by the Quake. Yellowstone netminder Chase Ebeyer (6-8-0-0) made 89 saves on Saturday and 64 in Friday’s setback.
Dawson Wirth scored three of the #4 Badlands Sabres’ (19-13-3-2) four goals as they knocked off the #6 Butte Irish (15-18-1-1) 4-2 during Saturday’s NA3HL contest in Rapid City, South Dakota. Matthew Cordis chipped in the first goal in the opening period for the host team. Zach Vockler and Charlie Lorbiecki assisted on the scoring drives by Wirth. Butte’s Keegan Adams scored in the first period and teammate Loghan Weber added the final tally for the Irish in the middle period. Hunter Oger (7-3-1-0) made 26 saves for his seventh win of the year. Nicolas Ulyanov (0-5-0-0) had 34 saves for the Irish.
Just like in Friday’s (4-2) win, the #5 Bozeman Ice Dogs (18-13-1-1) allowed just two goals to be scored by the #2 Sheridan (WY) Hawks (22-11-2-0) in their 5-2 victory to earn the weekend sweep over the Hawks. Five players got in the scoring column for the Ice Dogs including Baron Masopust, Reid Wilkinson, Lex Steckelberg, Matthew Stamp, and Spencer Wilkinson. All five Bozeman scoring drives were made in the second period. Kiefer Dunham (1 goal, 1 assist) and Elijah White (1 goal) led Sheridan, who despite two losses are still sitting in second place behind the Helena Bighorns in the updated NA3HL Frontier Division standings. Brett DeVincent now has eleven season victories (11-7-0-0) and ended the contest with 35 saves. Jaxson Stiller (0-2-0-0) lost for the second time in three appearances for Sheridan. Stiller had 20 saves before being replaced by Francesco Sciabbarrasi, who had nine saves in 31 minutes.
