Nationals play Wild at the Ice Dome

When it comes to junior hockey, winning is not the only thing that matters. But, even though player development is the priority, after being winless in eight straight games, the Glacier Nationals are desperate to get back in the win column.

The Nationals, who compete in the Frontier Division of the North American Tier 3 Hockey League, will have two chances to end their losing skid this weekend against the Gillette Wild, who will invade the Havre Ice Dome for back-to-back games tonight and Saturday.

The Nationals (1-10-3) will be looking for just their second win of the 2014-15 season and their first since a victory over the Yellowstone Quake back on Oct.4. The first puck will drop between the Nationals and the Wild at 8 tonight and 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

If the Nationals are going to break through for their first win in over a month, they will need to play their best hockey because the Wild (10-5) are among the best teams in the Frontier and have already defeated Glacier twice this season by the scores of 7-2 and 3-2. Those games took place in Gillette Sept. 26 and Sept. 27.

One big key for the Nationals is going to be limiting the shot attempts of the Wild. So far this season, Glacier has been routinely outshot by its opponents, making things very difficult on goaltenders Ryan Lund and Nolan Slager.

However, that may be easier said than done against a Wild team that has scored 58 goals, while surrendering just 35. The Nationals, on the other hand, have scored just 23 goals in 14 games and have allowed 68 goals in that same time, an average of 5.2 goals allowed per game.

If Glacier is going to limit the offensive output of the Wild, it will need to focus on three key players for Gillette in Trent Dilliger, Cade Boreing and TJ McMinn. All three players have scored at least nine goals this season and Boreing leads the pack with a team-high 12 goals through 15 games for the Wild. Dillinger is another player, who is always a threat to score and leads the team in total points with 16, thanks to 10 goals and six assists. McMinn also has nine goals and four assists to help pace the Wild offense.

When the Nationals have the puck, their top scoring threat will be Joshua Larson, who has scored four goals and racked up three assists in just six games. In addition to Larson, Carson Frisk who has three goals this season, will be relied upon to score, as well as Tyler McMahon, who leads the Nationals in total points with eight after two goals and a team-high six assists.

The Wild may have the advantage on the offensive end of the ice but another area where they should have an edge on Glacier is between the pipes, where they boast two very good goaltenders; Alex Feese and Sean Kelley. Kelley has a 5-1 record on the young season with a goals against average of just 2.42 and a save percentage of over 91 percent. Feese, on the other hand, has a 4-1 record with a goals against average of 2.20 and a save percentage of better than 92 percent.

Lund or Slager will be the counterpart in net for the Nationals and thus far, Lund is 0-6-2 with a goals-against average of 4.23 and a save percentage of 92 percent. Slager is 1-4-1 with a goals-against average of 5.27 and a saver percentage of just over 87 percent.

The Nationals remain sixth out of seven teams in the Frontier Division with just five points, while the Wild are currently in second place with 20 points. The two teams will open their two-game set tonight at 8 and then close it out Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be at the Havre Ice Dome and will mark the end of a four-game home stand for Glacier.