Nationals long road trip continues at Yellowstone

The Glacier Nationals, of the North American Tier 3 Hockey League better be used to playing on the road because after two more road games this weekend, they will be in the midst of five consecutive games away from the Havre Ice Dome.

The Nationals have gotten off to a slow start in the Frontier Division of the NA3HL and are just 1-8-1 in their first 10 games. Their lone win of the season came back on Oct. 4 over the Yellowstone Quake in Havre, the same team Glacier will face twice this weekend, starting Saturday when they will travel to Cody, Wyoming, for the first of back-to-back games against the Quake.

The first game of the two-game set will begin Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with the second game to follow Sunday at 4 p.m. Both games will be played inside Riley Arena.

The first meeting between Glacier and Yellowstone Oct. 3 resulted in a 5-0 victory for the Quake. The very next night, the Nationals responded with an overtime victory that came down to a shootout, which the Nationals won 4-2 to seal their first and only win of the season.

Since then, the Nationals have gone winless in four games, losing to Billings three times and tying with Helena. The Quake on the other hand, lost consecutive games against Great Falls before beating Bozeman 6-3 last Saturday.

Yellowstone is currently fifth in the Frontier standings with five points, while the Nationals sit at sixth place with just three.

In order to move up the standings and remain within striking distance for a playoff berth at the end of the season, it’s imperative that the Nationals end their four-game winless streak, and they will look to do so this weekend led by Sam Shaheen, who is tied for the team lead with three goals through 10 games.

Karson Frisk has also found the net three times and has assisted on another goal, proving his importance to the Glacier offense. Meanwhile, Brendan Jester will also play a pivotal role for the Nationals and is the team leader in overall points with two goals and four assists.

Tyler McMahon (one goal, three assists) and Wyatt Fretheim (two goals, three assist) will also need to continue their recent string of solid play if the Nationals are going to earn their second win of the season.

Nolan Slager, who is 1-3-1 with a goals-against average of 4.75 in five starts will likely get the start in net for the Nationals, while Ryan Lund, who is 0-5 with a goals-against average of 5.39, will also see time between the pipes.

Defensively, the Nationals will need to focus their energy on stopping Quake forward Sean Pilet, who has a total of five goals and three assists so far in the 2014-15 campaign. Another key offensive player for Yellowstone who must be contained is Max Doner, who has three goals and eight assists, making him a key part of the Quake’s attack.

Lance Knudson, who is 2-2 with a goals-against average of 3.43 and Sean Lahey, who is 0-4 with a goals-against average of 3.93 will share time at goalie for Yellowstone.

The first game between the Nationals and Quake will be Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, the first puck will drop at 4 p.m. After the Nationals close out their five-game road trip against Yellowstone, they will begin a four-game home stand against Billings at the Havre Ice Dome Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m.