To view all previous news stories about the Great Falls Americans, please click here
Americans home games Sept. 24-25 moved to Gillette
GREAT FALLS, MT: (Sept. 16, 2021) – Due to the leaks in the cooling system pipes that help make the ice for the Great Falls Ice Plex (see original story), the Great Falls Americans have had to revise their schedule and move their first home game. The Americans were originally scheduled to make their 2021-22 home debut at the Great Falls Ice Plex on Friday and Saturday, October 24th and 25th against the Gillette (WY) Wild. Those plans have now changed as they will play their fourth and fifth consecutive games on the road (two games at Yellowstone Quake and one game in Bozeman) in Gillette, Wyoming on the weekend of September 24th and 25th starting at 7:30PM (MST) each night.
As for the home opener, Great Falls is still hopeful that they will make their home debut on Thursday, September 30th when the Helena Bighorns come to town for a 7:30PM (MST) start. Please check back on the Great Falls Americans website for any changes.
NOTE: The Great Falls Americans and Gillette (WY) Wild haven’t indicated when the Gillette (WY) Wild will make the trip to Great Falls for the rescheduled game. The teams might play their six meetings (3 weekends) in Wyoming. Gillette is scheduled to host the Great Falls Americans on two weekends this season including November 19th and 20th and December 10th and 11th. Great Falls may be hosting one of those weekends.
Here is the rest of the September 2021 schedule for the Americans (as of Sept. 16, 2021):
|
Fri. Sept. 24 |
@ Gillette Wild |
7:30PM |
Spirit Hall Ice Arena, Gillette, WY |
|
Sat. Sept. 25 |
@ Gillette Wild |
7:30PM |
Spirit Hall Ice Arena, Gillette, WY |
|
Thurs. Sept. 30 |
vs. Helena Bighorns |
7:30PM |
GF Ice Plex Update
By Great Falls Community Ice Foundation (GFCIF)
GREAT FALLS, Mont., September 14, 2021 — An update from the Great Falls Community Ice Foundation (GFCIF) was provided today on the Great Falls Ice Plex Facebook Page:
Great Falls, Mont., September 8, 2021 — The Great Falls Community Ice Foundation posted the following on their Facebook page on Wednesday, September 8, 2021 about the leaks at the Great Falls Ice Plex.
Last week, we discovered a significant number of leaks in the pipes that are part of our cooling system. These pipes run a coolant underneath the ice to hold the necessary temperature for making and sustaining ice throughout the season.
The health of these pipes is essential to the operation of our rink. Due to the leaks, we’ve had to halt ice making and are removing several inches of sand to expose the pipes and make repairs.
We had planned to have ice ready and begin our season this week, but the leaks will delay our opening day.
We are not sure precisely how long this repair process will take but, based on current estimates, we anticipate opening for the season in October.
Our facility was constructed more than 10 years ago with a sand floor, and it’s long been a goal of the foundation to install a concrete floor that will be more stable, allow us to hold more events in the space, and also potentially expand our operational months beyond the normal September-March ice season.
The foundation launched its capital campaign for the master plan improvements in January and the concrete floor was included in that long-range plan.
Due to the leaks in the existing pipes, fundraising the estimated $700,000 to $1 million to install a concrete floor is now our top priority.
The Great Falls Community Ice Foundation thanks our user groups and the community for their patience with these repairs and their continued support of local ice sports.
If you’d like to donate toward the concrete floor installation, visit www.greatfallsiceplex.com or contact President@gf-ice.org
–Post Courtesy of the Great Falls Community Ice Foundation Great Falls Ice Plex Facebook
2021-22 GF Americans Weekly E-Newsletter
The 2021-22 North American 3 Hockey League season is upon us. Once again, we are offering a FREE Americans E-Newsletter with Useful Links, weekly game summaries, press releases (when available), upcoming schedules and other GF Americans events, etc. to fans of the Great Falls Americans.
If you would like to subscribe to the Great Falls Americans E-Newsletter, please fill out the form by clicking this link with your First and Last Name, Email Address and please remember to check the box (Subscribe or Unsubscribe).
The Newsletter is usually sent out on Sunday or Monday during the season only (last game of the week) or when breaking news happens (press releases and other news).
First Weekly Newsletter of the 2021-22 NA3HL hockey season will come out in September 2021!!!
Thank You!!!
Kevin Scott
GF Americans Public Relations/Media Coordinator
Email: kevymt@live.com
2021-22 GF Americans Schedule
All Games can be seen on the NA3HL’s official streaming service, Hockey TV with Americans Play-By-Play Announcer, Megan Lewis on the call for all home games.
The 2021-22 GF Americans Schedule was released on July 20, 2021.
Fans that have a subscription to Hockey TV can watch current and previous Great Falls Americans games:
Click here for the current (2021-22) Season
Click here for the games completed during the 2020-21 Season
To view the entire 2021-22 Great Falls Americans and NA3HL league schedules, please click here.
| 2021-22 GF Americans Roster (Updated Sept. 12, 2021) |
| Website Stat Roster l 2021-22 Roster (Printable PDF) |
2021-22 GF Americans: Upcoming Schedules (ALL TIMES Mountain Standard Time)
(Updated September 16, 2021)
September 2021
| Day/Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
| Fri. Sept. 10 | @ Yellowstone Quake (Box Score) YEL WINS 5-3 Game Story | Riley Arena, Cody, WY | 7:30PM (MST) (Regular Season Road Opener) |
| Sat. Sept. 11 | @ Yellowstone Quake (Box Score) GF WINS 4-3 (OT) Game Story | Riley Arena, Cody, WY | 7:30PM (MST) |
| Sat. Sept. 18 | @ Bozeman Ice Dogs (Box Score) BOZ WINS 4-3 (SO) Game Story | Haynes Pavilion, Bozeman, MT | 7:30PM (MST) |
| Fri. Sept. 24 | @ Gillette (WY) Wild (Box Score) | Spirit Hall Ice Arena, GIllette, WY | 7:30PM (MST) |
| Sat. Sept. 25 | @ Gillette (WY) Wild (Box Score) | Spirit Hall Ice Arena, Gillette, WY | 7:30PM (MST) |
| Thurs. Sept. 30 | vs. Helena Bighorns (Box Score) | Great Falls Ice Plex, Great Falls, MT | 7:30PM (MST) (Regular Season Home Opener) |
October 2021
| Day/Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
| Sat. Oct. 2 | vs. Sheridan (WY) Hawks (Box Score) | Great Falls Ice Plex, Great Falls, MT | 7:30PM (MST) |
| Sun. Oct. 3 | vs. Sheridan (WY) Hawks (Box Score) | Great Falls Ice Plex, Great Falls, MT | 5:30PM (MST) (Special Time) |
| Fri. Oct. 8 | vs. Helena Bighorns (Box Score) | Great Falls Ice Plex, Great Falls, MT | 7:30PM (MST) |
| Sat. Oct. 9 | vs. Helena Bighorns (Box Score) | Great Falls Ice Plex, Great Falls, MT | 7:30PM (MST) |
| Fri. Oct. 15 | @ Sheridan (WY) Hawks (Box Score) | Whitney Rink in M&M’s Center, Sheridan, WY | 7:30PM (MST) |
| Sat.Oct. 16 | vs. Sheridan (WY) Hawks (Box Score) | Whitney Rink in M&M’s Center, Sheridan, WY | 7:30PM (MST) |
| Fri. Oct. 22 | vs. Butte Cobras (Box Score) | Great Falls Ice Plex, Great Falls, MT | 7:30PM (MST) |
| Thurs. Oct. 28 | vs. Butte Cobras (Box Score) | Great Falls Ice Plex, Great Falls, MT | 7:30PM (MST) |
| Fri. Oct. 29 | vs. Bozeman Ice Dogs (Box Score) | Great Falls Ice Plex, Great Falls, MT | 7:30PM (MST) |
| Sat. Oct. 30 | @ Butte Cobras (Box Score) | Butte Community Ice Center, Butte, MT | 7:00PM (MST) |
560AM KMON: Weekly Radio Interview
2021-22 560AM KMON: Weekly Radio Interviews with Coach Sears
UPDATED: 09/22/21: Tune in live weekly every Wednesday throughout the regular season at 6:11AM/7:11AM/8:11AM (MST) on 560AM KMON in Great Falls for a weekly interview with Americans Head Coach Greg Sears by KMON’s Randy Bogden. Click here to listen to the full interviews.
Great Falls Ice Plex: Renovation Master Plan
January 23, 2021: The Great Falls Community Ice Foundation (www.greatfallsiceplex.com) is excited to present the Great Falls Ice Plex Master Plan, which lays out the improvements that are expected to happen over the next several years. The project will be over six phases and prioritized by need set by the GFCIF Board of Directors. The improvements will make the GF Ice Plex a preferred destination for hockey tournaments, skating competitions and other year-round events including concerts and expositions. Click here to read more about the fundraising efforts and how you can donate to make this a reality.
GF Americans Story: Great Falls Ice Plex releases Master Plan for future improvements
Story Courtesy: MTN Sports (KRTV): MontanaSports.com: Great Falls Community Ice Foundation unveils plans for Ice Plex (January 24, 2021)
NA3HL Frontier Division Teams
Click on the Team Link for their website and the Arena link to view information and directions to the ice rink.
** = New NA3HL team for 2021-22 Season
| Teams | Location | Arena |
| **Badlands Sabres |
Rapid City, SD | Roosevelt Park Ice Arena |
| Bozeman Ice Dogs | Bozeman, MT | Haynes Pavilion |
| Butte Cobras | Butte, MT | Butte Community Ice Center |
| Great Falls Americans | Great Falls, MT | Great Falls Ice Plex |
| Gillette Wild | Gillette, WY | Spirit Hall Ice Arena |
| Helena Bighorns | Helena, MT | Helena Ice Arena |
| Sheridan Hawks | Sheridan, WY | Whitney Rink in the M&M’s Center |
| Yellowstone Quake | Cody, WY | Riley Arena |
**= Replaces the Missoula (MT) Junior Bruins
