The most recent contest between the #5 Bozeman Ice Dogs (21-14-1-1) and the #4 Great Falls Americans (22-12-3-2) occurred on Wednesday, January 29th when both teams traveled for a neutral site game in Havre, Montana for a regular season NA3HL contest. The game served as a home date for Great Falls but was played at the Havre Ice Dome since they could not have the game inside the Great Falls Ice Plex on January 25th due to a youth hockey tournament.
Bozeman’s offense took control and held a 3-1 advantage before the third period began. Tyler Klingbeil, Dan Upton, and Matthew Stamp all scored for the Ice Dogs. Aiden Kennedy, with helpers from Chase Hapka and Fisher Hannesson, accounted for the Americans lone scoring drive. Bozeman outscored Great Falls 2-1 in the final period for the 5-2 victory. Spencer Wilkinson and Preston Wight tallied the third period goals for the visitors while Garren Narvaez, the Americans assist leader, added the Americans score. Jack Ryan made 29 saves for the winning side. Kaden Rhyder, who took the loss for the Americans, ended up with 27 saves while backup netminder Patrick Forsythe stopped 16 of 17 shots.
Great Falls has won four of their six head-to-head matchups (3-1 at home and 1-1 on the road) prior to Sunday’s showdown on the ice in Bozeman, Montana.
The Great Falls Americans trailed 5-2 on the road against the Bozeman Ice Dogs after the first forty minutes but scored four straight goals to even the score but the Ice Dogs tacked on a goal with under 30 seconds remaining to force an overtime and shootout. Bozeman’s Spencer Wilkinson scored the lone goal in the shootout in the 7-6 victory. This was the second straight shootout for both clubs. Bozeman defeated the Butte Irish, 6-5 in Bozeman on Saturday and the Helena Bighorns downed Great Falls, 4-3 in a shootout at the Great Falls Ice Plex on Saturday night.
Bozeman raced out to score three unanswered goals during a 1:39 span within the first five minutes of the opening period. Tyler Klingbeil scored the first two goals with Spencer Wilkinson and Matthew Stamp assisting on the first score and Stamp earning another assist on the second score. Devin Bruns, the leading scorer for the Ice Dogs, delivered his 22nd goal with 15:13 remaining off a pass from Andrew Kaunas and Cole Schowengerdt. Great Falls stopped the shutout quickly by scoring 12 seconds later when Ty O’Bey found John Lang for the lamplighter. Great Falls and Bozeman combined for 22 shots-on-goal.
The Ice Dogs offense quickly scored to open the second period. Lex Steckelberg during the first 24 seconds off the stick of Andrew Kaunas. The host team would have a four-goal advantage (5-1) eight minutes later when Spencer Wilkinson would light up the lamp for his 14th goal off a pass from Tyler Klingbeil, who started the game with two goals in the first. Before the period concluded, the Americans were able to get their second goal when Cal Laggis put the puck in the net. Ty O’Bey and Garrett Driscoll set up the final scoring tally of the stanza.
If you were a Great Falls fan, the game got exciting in the third frame. The Americans answered with four consecutive successful scoring drives and took the lead with 65 seconds left in regulation. Four different players scored including Fisher Hannesson, Jase Troyer, Jayden Rogen, and Ty O’Bey with Chase Hapka assisting on two scores and Ty O’Bey, EJ Sanchez, Aiden Kennedy, and Garrett Driscoll providing the assists. The Ice Dogs would not be denied as they went down the ice and scored with 28 seconds left to send it to overtime. Bozeman’s Reid Wilkinson saved the game for the Ice Dogs that was set up by Matthew Stamp and Michael Reich. After three periods, Great Falls attempted 38 saves and held Bozeman to 27.
After the five-minute overtime was completed with no scoring, a shootout would determine a winner.
In the shootout, Spencer Wilkinson produced the only score for either team to give the Ice Dogs the 7-6 win in a shootout. Teammate Tyler Klingbeil came up short but Wilkinson’s one-on-one goal with the Americans netminder proved to be the game winner after unsuccessful tries from Ty O’Bey, John Lang and Zac Orwig.
Despite the loss, Great Falls outshot the home team, 47-30 with 26 shots coming after the first stanza.
Bozeman went 1-for-3 on the power play and committed four minor infractions during the Sunday night contest. Great Falls made one of their four power play opportunities and had three minor penalties.
Tyler Klingbeil turned in a great performance for the Ice Dogs as he amassed two goals and dished out one assist. Ty O’Bey, the Americans team leader, had one goal and three assists.
Brett DeVincent now has 13 victories in 21 games for Bozeman. He is now 1-2 when facing the Americans and finished Sunday’s win with 38 saves. Isaiah Paulnock started his second game with Great Falls but finished with four saves before Kale Witt took over and stopped 20 of 23 shots. Witt, who has been in six games this season, is now 1-1-1-1.
