Helena took their first road trip of the season to Rapid City, South Dakota, for weekend games against the Badlands Sabres. Each game was tight and too close for comfort, but Helena ended up taking home both wins of the weekend.
Friday night’s game had Bighorn Austin Uecker with the first goal, assisted by Sam Williamson, ending the first period with the only point on the board. The second period put the Bighorns behind by a goal, with Badlands getting in two in the net, and taking a 2-1 lead. Helena gained momentum and speed in the third, with four hard fought goals, scored by Finn Theriault (Jason Hammett), Kade Pareja (Owen Gruener, Austin Uecker), Brandon Mcilhany (Colin Becker, Finn Theriault), and Finn Theriault (unassisted), ending the game with a 5-2 victory. Bighorn’s veteran goalie Malik Johnson stopped 25 of the 27 shots on his net.
Saturday’s game proved to be another tough one for both teams, with Helena coming on strong and scoring five solid goals, leading the game 5-1 by the end of the second period. Badlands wasn’t giving up and took the Bighorns by surprise with four quick goals in the third, tying up the game 5-5, with only a few minutes left in the game. Helena got lucky with a late power play and took advantage of the opportunity with one last goal, ending the game with a 6-5 win. Goals for Helena were credited to Austin Uecker (Dylan Jimenez, Kade Pareja), Clint Isakson (G’bari Mayers, Garrett Lindsey), Maddux Hale (Finn Theriault, Jason Hammett), Chase Berg (Jason Hammett, Finn Theriault), Maddux Hale (Austin Uecker, Owen Gruener), and Caden Feinstein (Jason Hammett, Maddux Hale). Bighorn’s goalie Tyler Miller stopped 33 of the 38 pucks on his net.
Helena will rest on Friday with no game, and head to Bozeman on Saturday, November 26th for a battle against the Icedogs. Their next home games will be back-to-back against the Gillette Wild on November 1st and 2nd, at Steed Arena in Helena. Tickets for the Gillette series are available at Tickets | HELENA BIGHORNS