Nationals play two against Yellowstone

The Glacier Nationals are four games into their first season of hockey in Havre. And the Nationals don't have a win yet. But they're getting closer, and a pair of games on home ice might be just what the Nationals need.

Glacier hosts the Yellowstone Quake in a two-game set, starting with tonight's game at 8 at the Havre Ice Dome. The Nationals and Quake will match up again Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.

Tonight's game is the start of a three-game Frontier Division home stand for the Nationals, who are also home next Friday night to take on the Billings Bulls. After that game, the Nationals embark on their longest road trip of the season as they'll play five straight games away from Havre.

So, this weekend's games are critical for the Nationals, who were swept by the Gillette Wild last weekend on the road. The Nationals lost to the Wild twice, but played tough in both contests, and Gillette is one of the top teams in the divison, so the games were a good learning experience for the young Glacier squad.

Now come the Quake, who are also 0-4 on the young season. The Quake lost back-to-back home games last weekend against the Helena Bighorns. But despite their 0-4 start, the Quake have been pretty good offensively, averaging just over three goals per game. Yellowstone is led by forward Max Doner's four points. Doner has two goals and two assists on the season, while forward Sawyer Scanlan and defenseman Josh Neumann have three points each.

On the other side, Glacier goalies Ryan Lund and Nolan Slager will have to play well this weekend in order to keep the Quake offense at bay. Lund has logged the most minutes in the pipes for Glacier but Slager has played well, too. Offensively, Glacier has gotten two goals from Sam Shaheen, while defenseman Wyatt Fretheim has a goal and three total points.

Tonight's game between the Nationals and Quake starts at 8 inside the Havre Ice Dome. Saturday night's rematch will get underway at 7:30 p.m.