The NA3HL Frontier Division rivalry continued on Friday night in Helena, Montana, as the Great Falls Americans (1-3-0-1) make their first road trip of the season to visit the Helena Bighorns (3-1-0-0) inside Steed Arena in Helena, Montana.
The Americans opened the 2025-26 NA3HL season at home on September 5th against the Bighorns in Great Falls. The Americans led 2-1 after the first period but quickly fell behind 6-3 in the second stanza. Helena outscored Great Falls, 2-0 in the third to pull out an 8-3 victory to spoil the Amerians home opener. Cooper Clouse, a forward from Fargo, North Dakota, tallied one goal and dished out one assist for the home team while goaltenders Kale Witt and former Bozeman Ice Dog Oscar Gribauvel combined for 29 saves. Clint Isakson chipped in two goals and John Nanos (31 saves) was the winning goaltender for Helena.
The Helena Bighorns and the Great Falls Americans each put two goals on the scoreboard during the first three periods inside Helena’s Steed Arena on Friday evening but after a scoreless overtime, Helena gathered their third win of the season as Chase Berg provided the only goal by either team in the shootout. Cooper Clouse and Tallon Caron provided the scoring drives for Great Falls in their first road trip.
Each team was able to put the biscuit in the basket once before the first intermission. Cooper Clouse, the leading scorer for the Americans, provided his fourth goal of the season with 16:13 remaining to give the Americans the lead. Blake Chapman, one of five players for the Bighorns who call Colorado home, scored his third lamplighter with Great Falls in the sin bin with 1:24 remaining to even the contest (1-1). Caden Feinstein helped set up the game-tying tally.
Utah native Mason Smith, a first-year player for the Bighorns, answered and broke the tie for the host team with under five minutes remaining in the middle stanza. Helena created 19 shots in the first and second periods while Great Falls tallied seven of their 16 in the second period.
In the third frame, Great Falls’ Tallon Caron put in the equalizer off the stick of Cooper Clouse. The visitors’ second goal occurred with just under ten minutes left in regulation. Caron collected his third goal in his first season in the NA3HL, while Clouse tacked on his third assist in his second season with the team. Caron’s goal proved to be the only score by either team, and a five-minute overtime was needed to declare a winning squad. Great Falls did outshoot Helena, 13-10.
The three-on-three overtime saw neither Frontier Division opponent find the back of the net. A shootout was necessary. Each squad was able to get off two shots against the opposing goaltender.
Chase Berg of the Bighorns was the only player from either squad to puck in the net as the Bighorns claimed their third victory in four games. Blake Chapman and Austin Uecker failed to get the puck in the net for Helena. Jase Troyer, Cooper Clouse, and Wyatt Hanna were denied their one-on-one goal attempts by Bighorns goalie Andrew Blake.
The Bighorns scored two goals on 50 shots attempts while Great Falls ended the contest with 31 shots with two successful scoring opportunities.
The junior hockey rivals each had five power play chances, but only Blake Chapman’s first period score was successful while the Americans were in the penalty box.
Andrew Blake escaped with his first win and had 29 saves for the Bighorns as the Champlin, Minnesota native is now 1-1-0-0 on the season. Kaden Rhyder (0-1-0-1) had a rough outing for Great Falls in his second appearance but managed 48 saves.
