Americans look to close out Gillette
Americans seek to wrap up semis at home
The Great Falls Americans, fresh from Wednesday's 6-2 rout over the Gillette Wild, will look to end the NA3HL Frontier Division semifinal series with the Wild on Friday night at 7:30 at Great Falls Ice Plex.
With a win Friday, the Americans would move on to defend their Frontier Division championship against the winner of the Bozeman-Yellowstone series, which begins Friday night at the Riley Ice Arena in Cody, Wyo.
Tanner Congdon helped get the Americans started on the right foot in the first game of the series Wednesday at Gillette's Spirit Hall Rink, scoring a hat trick while Americans' keeper Nick Nast turned away all but two of the 26 shots he faced.
Friday's match, the second of the best-of-three set, begins at 7:30 p.m.
Ex-Griz Jordan Tripp re-signs with Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Former Montana Grizzly star Jordan Tripp was re-signed by Green Bay on Wednesday after the Packers initially declined to tender the linebacker a contract offer before the start of free agency.
Tripp originally signed with Green Bay after being released late last season by Seattle.
Tripp, a Missoula Big Sky graduate who went on to an All-America college career with the Grizzlies, started his professional playing days with the Miami Dolphins in 2014. He was drafted in the fifth round that spring.
After appearing in 13 games as a rookie, the Dolphins released Tripp and he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tripp appeared in 12 games for the Jags in 2015 and made 14 tackles.
Tripp was again waived ahead of the 2016 season and signed to the Seattle practice squad. He made the active roster by October and played in seven games, making one start in place of injured Brock Coyle, also a former Grizzly star.
Seavey is oldest, fastest musher to win Iditarod
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Mitch Seavey won his third Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race this week, becoming the fastest and oldest champion at age 57 and helping cement his family's position as mushing royalty.
Jessie Royer, a part-time Darby resident who grew up near Ennis, finished fifth early Wednesday.
Seavey, of Seward, Alaska, brought his dogs off the frozen Bering Sea and onto Front Street in the Gold Rush town of Nome after crossing nearly 1,000 miles of Alaska wilderness.
He outran his son, defending champion Dallas Seavey, and lapped the oldest musher record that he set at age 53 in 2013. He previously won the race in 2013 and 2004.
Seavey also set a time record of 8 days, 3 hours, 40 minutes and 13 seconds, the Iditarod said. That shaved several hours off the record his son set last year: 8 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes and 16 seconds.
Seavey picked up $75,000 and the keys to a new pickup truck for winning the world's most famous sled dog race. The Seaveys have now won the last six races. Dallas Seavey won four, and his father finished second the last two years. The two are close but competitive.
The race started March 6 in Fairbanks, with 71 teams. Five mushers scratched. Five dogs associated with the race have died this year, including a 4-year-old male named Flash who collapsed on the trail early Tuesday when his musher, Katherine Keith, was about 10 miles outside the checkpoint in Koyuk.
Lady Argos face Mountaineers in playoff rematch
LaGRANDE, Ore. – The University of Great Falls softball team will face the only team to beat them in the Cascade Collegiate Conference playoffs last spring when the travel here to meet Eastern Oregon in a two-day, four game set Friday and Saturday.
The Lady Argos of head coach Joey Egan are 1-5 in league play, 8-6 overall, having dropped all four games of their series with Southern Oregon last weekend in Ashland. EOU is 4-2 in the CCC, 8-7 overall.
Righthander Shelby Abeyta suffered her first loss of the season last weekend against the Raiders and is now 5-1, while Kristina George ranks second in the NAIA with four saves, despite her 1-2 record.
Friday's games are at 3 and 5 p.m. Mountain Time.
Great Falls gearing up for a spring season full of lacrosse
The Great Falls Fury club lacrosse team has more games scheduled than ever before. The season begins March 25 and continues through May. The Fury head coach Kirk Fried. He can be reached at 406-781-9274 or by e-mail at greatfallslacrosse@gmail.com.
Here is the schedule for the coming weeks:
March 25 (High School Girls at CMR-both fields): 9-10 a.m.: Great Falls Fury vs Helena Huskies; 10:30-11:30 a.m.: Billings Scorpions vs Bozeman JV; 12-1: Big Sky Sentinel vs Bozeman Varsity; 1-2: Great Falls Fury vs Billings Scorpions; 1:30-2:30: Hellgate Knights vs Helena Huskies; 2-3: Bozeman JV vs Big Sky Sentinel; 3:30-4:30: Bozeman Varsity vs Hellgate Knights
April 1 (High School Boys at Paris Gibson Education Center): 10:30 a.m.-12:30: Great Falls Fury vs Billings Senior; 2-4: Bozeman JV White vs Billings Senior; 5:30-7:30: Great Falls Fury vs Bozeman JV White
April 15 (High School Boys at Paris Gibson Education Center): 10 a.m.-12: Great Falls Fury vs Missoula Sentinel; 1:30-3:30: Helena Huskies JV vs Missoula Sentinel; 5-7: Great Falls Fury vs Helena Huskies JV
April 29 (High School Boys at Paris Gibson Education Center): 9:30-11:30 a.m.: Great Falls Fury vs Butte Lacrosse; 11:30 a.m.-1:30: Helena Huskies Varsity vs Billings Senior
May 12 (High School Boys at Memorial Stadium): 7-9 pm: Great Falls Fury vs NW SharpShooters
May 13 (High School Boys at Paris Gibson Education Center): 11:30-1:30: NW SharpShooters vs Billings Senior; 1:30-3:30: Bozeman Varsity vs West Billings; 3:30-5:30: Ten Sticks (Pablo) vs Billings Senior; 5:30-7:30: NW SharpShooters vs West Billings
May 14 (High School Boys at Paris Gibson Education Center): 12-2: Big Sky vs Great Falls Fury
May 19-21 (High School State Tournament for Boys & Girls): Friday, May 19 – 5-7 pm – 6 playoff games – Siebel Soccer Complex
Saturday, May 20 – 9 a.m.-7 p.m. – 30 playoff games – Siebel Soccer Complex
Sunday, May 21 – Memorial Stadium: 9-11 a.m. – All State Games; 11-12 – All State Awards presentation; 1-3 – High School Girls Championship game; 3:30-5:30 – High School Boys Championship game