The Great Falls Americans are back and ready for action as they opened up the 2025-26 North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) Junior A hockey season on Friday night at the Great Falls Ice Plex against their rivals, the Helena Bighorns. Helena and Great Falls are separated by about 90 miles and are the Americans closest competitor in the league.
The Helena Bighorns scored five of their eight goals in the middle period to defeat the Great Falls Americans, 8-3, during Friday’s season opener at the Great Falls Ice Plex. Clint Isakson, who calls Billings, Montana home, acquired two goals for the Bighorns.
The season opening contest got started later than originally planned, with the puck dropping at 7:20PM (MST). The Bighorns took the opening faceoff and scored the first goal nine seconds into the first period. Chase Berg, one of ten returning players for Helena, lit up the lamp for the first goal of the season with helpers from Bryer Lang and Austin Uecker. The Americans would not be scoreless for long as Cooper Clouse (Fargo, ND) accumulated his first goal off the stick of Kiefer Lundmark (Detroit Lakes, MN) four minutes after Helena’s score. Great Falls’ Tallen Caron (Kenora, Ontario, Canada) broke the tie and put the Americans in front, 2-1 with 13:05 remaining in the first period. Cooper Clouse and Gavin Denis (Rhinelander, WI) earned their first assists of the season as both suited up for the home team last year. The Americans led 2-1 after the first twenty minutes. Helena attempted 15 shots while Great Falls created 11. Both squads failed to make any goals during their two power play opportunities.
During the opening seven minutes of the second stanza, Helena scored two consecutive goals as Caden Fenstein and Clint Isakson put the visiting team back out in front, 3-2. Fenstein’s equalizer came four minutes into the period with assistance from Blake Chapman and Tyler Parsons. Isakson’s unassisted scoring drive occurred with 13 minutes remaining. EJ Sanchez (Great Falls, MT) tied the contest (3-3) as teammate Colton Bacon (Billings, MT) set up the slapshot 90 seconds later. New Ulm, Minnesota native Bryer Lang, who tacked on his first score as a member of the Helena Bighorns, broke the 3-3 tie. Austin Uecker gathered his second assist, and Joe Voix added his first midway through the second. Before the second intermission, Helena put up two more scoring drives to increase their lead to 6-3. Clint Isakson scored his second goal in the period as G’bari Mayers and Fischer Nicolet acquired the assists with 3:51 remaining. Cal Kellenburg recorded his first assist when his pass to Austin Uecker gave the reigning 2024-25 NA3HL Frontier Division champions a three-goal lead with under two minutes left. Great Falls outshot Helena, 12-10 during the second frame.
A Tyler Parsons to Jeffrey Hershberger connection started the third period with the Bighorns seventh goal of the game. Hershberger’s first score happened 48 seconds into the final period. Ty Schell scored the last goal of the game with 9:53 left off a pass from Joe Voix to ensure the Bighorns win.
The Bighorns took 25 of their 37 shots before the second intermission. Great Falls amassed 11 shots in the first and third periods for a total of 34.
The Americans went 1-for-5 on the power play with Cooper Clouse’s first period goal being the only successful opportunity for either team. Helena could not find a way to score on their seven chances.
Clint Isakson led the way with two goals for Helena head coach Damon Hanson’s squad. Austin Uecker made one goal and dished out two assists. Cooper Clouse (1 goal, 1 assist) led the home team in the loss.
John Nanos (1-0-0-0), a Lincoln, Nebraska native playing in his first game with the Bighorns, picked up the win with 31 saves.
Kale Witt (0-1-0-0) started and played for 36 minutes for Great Falls finishing with 16 saves in his first outing this season. Former Bozeman Ice Dog netminder Oscar Gribauval made 13 saves in the final 24 minutes.
