(Editor's note: Report by Merrick Parnell)
The Helena Bighorns became the latest victim of the Bozeman Icedogs this past weekend in North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) action. The Icedogs swept the Bighorns in the two-game, home-and-home series to remain the only undefeated team in the NA3HL at 11-0.
The Icedogs beat the Bighorns 3-2 on Friday night in Bozeman, then 6-2 in Helena on Saturday. Hazen McKay, Max Schumacher and Luke Hartge scored for Bozeman on Friday while goalie Domagoj Troha made 41 saves.
On Saturday, the Icedogs took advantage of striking first, as Duncan McGarrah scored midway through the first period. McGarrah also finished with two assists and was named the game’s first star. Five other Icedogs would chip in with goals of their own in the win.
“We were excited to get another sweep this weekend,” said Bozeman head coach Elliot Bates. “We definitely have areas of our game that we need to work on and adjust after these two games, but still happy with the outcome.”
Meanwhile, the Butte Cobras were swept by the Gillette Wild in Wyoming over the weekend. The Wild came into the game as the No. 2 team in the NA3HL Frontier Division. The Cobras would lose 10-3 on Friday night, but Saturday would be a different tale.
After falling behind 2-0 early in the game, Butte surged back to tie the game at 2-2 in the second period. Kyler Garsjo and Trey Wells netted the goals for Butte. However, the Wild would pull away in the third to win 7-4. Garsjo netted another goal and Hunter Varney added one for Butte in the loss. Sean O’ Connor made 53 saves on 60 shots.
Butte will host the Great Falls Americans on Oct. 24. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
