Sheridan Blanks Great Falls, 3-0 to Move to Third Place in the Frontier Division Standings

Photo credit Michael Noel Photography The #3 Sheridan Hawks (24-12-2-1) were trying to get revenge on the #4 Great Falls Americans (23-13-3-2) at Whitney Rink on Saturday night after the Americans came away with a 4-2 decision on Friday night. Chase Hapka, who started the season on the Gillette (WY) Wild roster, scored two goals and Ty O’Bey assisted on two scoring plays to defeat the home team. Kaden Rhyder got the start and finished with 41 saves for the Americans during Friday’s performance. The Hawks and the Americans have each won four of their matchups this season. Although both clubs could see each other in the NA3HL Playoffs in March, this was the final regular season game between these two foes. The Sheridan (WY) Hawks blanked the Great Falls Americans, 3-0 during Saturday night’s NA3HL action at Whitney Rink in the M&M’s Center in Sheridan, Wyoming. A night after the Americans moved up to the third position in the NA3HL Frontier Division standings, they have now switched places with Sheridan and are now back to fourth place. Sheridan’s Elijah White and Vincent Leaf both scored during the opening period as the Hawks jumped out to a 2-0 advantage prior to the first intermission. Daniel Shelden and Jeff Slivon assisted on Elijah White’s lamplighter with 12:35 remaining. Vincent Leaf’s tally came less than two minutes later with helpers from Charles Stow and Logan Hume. The Montana team held a 19-14 advantage in the shots-on-goal category. After a scoreless second period where the home team outshot the visitiors, 18-7, both teams headed into the locker room to regroup. Ernest Allen needed three minutes into the third frame to record his fifth scoring drive of the season. Logan Sidlauskas and Anthony Launderville assisted on what would be the final goal for either team as both squads skated out the remaining 17 minutes. The Hawks combined for 37 shots during the second and third periods to end the game with 51. Great Falls registered 20 shots after the first stanza to finish with 39. Saturday’s affair saw five power play chances missed and eleven total minor penalties between the Frontier Division squads. Francesco Sciabbarrasi (1-0-0-0) played in his first game with the Hawks and picked up the shutout victory. The Canadian netminder was perfect in the net stopping all 39 shots by the Americans. Kaden Rhyder (19-9-1-0) suffered his ninth regulation loss by swatting away 48 shots for Great Falls. FRONTIER DIVISION UPDATE: Andrew Kaunas scored a hat trick and the #5 Bozeman Ice Dogs (22-15-1-1) redeemed themselves from the 6-1 loss to the #2 Badlands (SD) Sabres (23-13-4-3) on Friday by escaping with a 6-5 win in a shootout in Rapid City, South Dakota on Saturday evening. Tyler Klingbeil and Dan Upton outscored the Sabres, 2-0 in the shootout. Dawson Wirth scored two of the five goals for Badlands. Brett DeVincent stopped 38 shots as he improved to 14-8-0-0 on the season for Bozeman. Hunter Oger (8-3-1-1) had 35 saves but suffered his first shutout loss of the year for the host team. The #1 Helena Bighorns (33-3-1-1) and the #6 Gillette (WY) Wild (17-22-1-0) finally got to meet on the ice on Saturday after the Wild had trouble making the trip to Helena, Montana on Friday due to the road closure getting to Montana. Marcus Fritel scored two goals and dished out one assist and goaltender Malik Johnson stopped 22 of 23 shots as the Bighorns proved to be the better team in a 6-1 win over the Wild at Steed Arena. Helena led 4-1 after the first two periods and then added two goals in the third. Riley Schmidt scored the lone tally for Gillette in the second period. Malik Johnson (12-0-0-1) added another win to his resume in the net with his 22 save performance. Gillette’s Austin Trieber (5-8-0-0) allowed five goals and finished with 38 saves. Backup Wylen Cambensy swatted away four shots in two minutes of action. The #7 Butte Irish (16-21-1-2) also had trouble due to winter weather conditions in Montana and Wyoming as both teams were scheduled for a Friday game but had to postpone. Butte and the #8 Yellowstone (WY) Quake (1-38-1-0) tangled on Saturday and the Irish built a 7-0 lead after two periods to easily defeat the Quake, 10-2 inside Riley Arena in Cody, Wyoming. Easton Langemo scored a hat trick (three goals), and goaltender Nicolas Ulyanov (1-6-0-1) acquired 27 saves in Butte’s 16th win of the year. Cooper Cunningham and Tucker Sarkisian each scored for the Quake in the third period. Tucker Bayly (0-2-0-0) got the start and played 30 minutes for the Irish preventing eight shots, but Chase Ebeyer finished the game with 15 saves.