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Cobras uncoiled: Butte looking at big goals in 2022-2023 | Hockey News

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BUTTE – The Butte Cobras come into the 2022-2023 North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) season with firm hopes of a playoff return this season.

Although a 19-26-2-0 record (40 points) got the Cobras into the Fraser Cup Playoffs in 2021-2022, Butte was swept by Bozeman in the opening round to end their season.







Butte Cobras Hockey

A goalie for the Butte Cobras defends the net as a player breaks in for a shot during practice on Sept. 6 at the Butte Community Ice Rink. 




Butte was outscored in the regular season, 195-172. Conversely, the Cobras fourth-least penalized team in the NA3HL, having amassed 703 penalty minutes.

The Cobras were 37-of-125 in power play opportunities (29.6%), which was good for second in the NA3HL’s Frontier Division.







Butte Cobras Hockey

A player for the Butte Cobras looks to pass in the neutral zone during a practice on Sept. 6 at the Butte Community Ice Rink. 




However, the Cobras struggled on the penalty kill. Although Butte allowed a division-low 96 opportunities, opponents scored 41 times.

Butte had two of the NA3HL’s top scorers, with Cade Wessman (18 goals, 58 assists, 76 points) tied for eighth and Nick Bradshaw (42-32-74) finished in 10th.

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Wessman’s 58 assists ranked second behind Helena’s Taber Gutschick (59).

Bradshaw’s 42 goals ranked third in the league behind Gillette’s Declan Young (48) and Oklahoma City’s Robby Rabroker (44). Bradshaw also had four short-handed goals, tied for fifth in the league.

Luke Schleusner (29-40-69) was tied for tenth in the league with nine power-play goals and tied for 16th in scoring.







Butte Cobras Hockey

The coach for the Butte Cobras celebrates after his team won a scrimmage on Sept. 6 during practice. 




“Three of our top players are returning: Nick Bradshaw, Cade Wessman, and Luke Schleusner,” Golden said. “They were on a line last year, though they did not get together until a third of the season was over. However, they really gelled and were one of the more dominant lines in the league last year. So we are looking for a lot of protection from them. We also have some other guys, so the pressure is not all on them. Carson Streich (2-32-34) is one of our better d-men. He was our top-scoring defenseman last year, so he’ll be great to have back on the blue line for this year, and we have Caleb Cross (26 games. 10-14-1, 3.77 goals allowed average, one shutout, .907 save percentage), who is our starting goaltender last year. He has worked hard all summer, so we look forward to seeing him back in the cage.”







Butte Cobras Hockey

A player is all smiles after scoring a point during a scrimmage at the Sept. 6 practice for the Butte Cobras. 




The Cobras roster in 2022-2023 will have five players from Alaska, the largest number of non-Montanans on the roster.

“We have five guys from Alaska this year,” Golden said. “Last year, we loaded up on Minnesotans. This year, we brought in a lot of Alaskans and a few more Coloradans. I’m from Colorado, so getting more Colorado guys is fun. We brought in two more: Carter Large from my old high school (Mountain High School), and Weston Villiers, also from Colorado Springs. He won a state championship with Cheyenne Mountain last year. We have three guys from Homer, Alaska, who are all excellent players. They won some state championships together, and there’s Dylan Walton, an Alaskan guy from Soldotna. He played college last year at BYU. However, BYU dropped their program, so he is back into juniors and is still age eligible. So, it is a good fit for him. I think that the fact we have other Alaskans on the roster makes him feel comfortable. The last Alaskan is Josh Horacek from Palmer, Alaska. I saw him at the 18 U AA nationals in California and then at the Capstone Invitational.”

There are two local Butte products on the roster, Noah Williamson and Rye Vincent, who joined the team this season.







Butte Cobras Hockey

A pair of Butte Cobras go one-on-one during a neutral-zone drill on Sept. 6 at the Butte Community Ice Rink. 




“Another local guy that is joining us this year is Rye Vincent,” Golden said. “He played for the Montana Big Sky Stars last year.”

The Frontier Division returns a great deal of talent. Helena (86 points), Gillette (84), Bozeman (56), Great Falls (49), Badlands (41), Yellowstone (29), and Sheridan (13) present challenges in every game for the Cobras.

“I’m pretty optimistic a lot of those teams lost some of their big guns,” Golden said. “They are still going to sound, solid teams again. I ourselves climbing the ladder to the higher spots in our division. I thought we did well last year. We could build upon some things this year to compete for a division title, and ultimately our goal is to make a run at the Fraser Cup.

Golden believes he has a solid roster to compete this season and beyond.

“Then, of course, getting these guys on to college and or higher junior leagues after that,” Golden said. “I see it’s shaping up pretty good. I see us in the top four right now. That’s just on paper; the results will come on the ice when you play the games. We think we’re pretty strong right now. But we want to be our strongest right before playoffs. That is where we want to peak.”

The back end of Butte’s schedule favors the Cobras. From January 20 to March 3, the Cobras to not leave the friendly confines of the Butte Community Ice Center. They have 12 consecutive home games. The Cobras finish the regular season in Helena on March 4.

“We are hoping that’s the plan,” Golden said. “We didn’t have a lot of Fridays available here at the beginning of this season, which is fine for us. Then we get loaded up with home games at the end of the season. Teams put in their available dates, and it turns out we only have one away game in our last 13. So that is a big stretch of home games, and I hope to get some support from our community. Having friends and billet families and sleeping in your own bed and all that stuff kind of helps a little bit. So does having home-cooked meals, or just being relaxed and not having to travel. Those are all positives for us being at home, so looking forward to that home stretch for our playoff push.”

Tony Adams is the sports editor at The Montana Standard and is a contributor for 406MTSports.com. Contact Tony on Twitter (@HeresTony2) or by email tony.adams@406mtsports.com



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