The Great Falls Americans have been working hard down the stretch to ensure a spot in the post season.
First year head coach Greg Sears hasn’t been here long, but has established a dominant team on the ice in that short time.
“I inherited a nice team, and added some of our own pieces to the puzzle, and it’s been really good. But this is a pretty good team we’re pretty deep this year,” Sears said.
That depth includes the 2018 Goalie of the Year Drew Scites, and left winger Peyton McSharry, who continues to be an offensive force for the Americans.
“I think our season has been really well. We’ve had a few up and downs with some injuries, and maybe some slumps, but other than that we’ve been doing really well,” said Scites.
“Peyton just set the franchise record for goals in a career. He leave here with a new record.”
“It feels really good, actually. All the hard work pays off. It just feels great. I’ve got great line mates over the past three years who’ve helped me get there and great coaches, so, it’s nice,” McSharry said.
Last weekend they banked two back-to-back wins against the Butte Cobras, moving them to 28-7-0-1 on the year, and putting them atop of the NA3HL Frontier Conference.
Not only did the two wins push their current winning streak to seven, but it also allowed them to pass their rivals, and next opponent the Helena Bighorns, for first place.
Nat pop
When the Bighorns come to Great Falls this weekend, however, the team says they have a pretty good advantage: their home ice.
“The home crowd, they’re just electric. They’re here when we’re here warming up and it’s pretty crazy to see the dedication,” McSharry said.
“We love playing home. We have great hockey fans; this is a good hockey community and we seem to put a lot of people in the stands every time we play, so the guys are excited to play in front of the home crowd again,” added Sears.
The game is set for Friday, Jan. 18 at the Great Falls Ice Plex. Game time is 7:30.
