Nationals split with Bozeman

It was an up and down weekend for the Glacier Nationals. On one hand, they stopped a four-game losing streak. On the other hand, they missed a golden opportunity to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.

The Nationals, who were playing at the Havre Ice Dome for the first time since travelling to Blaine, Minnesota, for the North American Tier 3 Hockey League Showcase, hosted the Bozeman Ice Dogs, for two games this past weekend. The two teams split with Glacier winning 3-2 Saturday night, then falling 7-2 to Bozeman Sunday.

The Nationals, who sat just ahead of the Ice Dogs in the Frontier Division standings coming into the weekend, were looking to take advantage of being back on home ice and did just that Saturday night.

After a scoreless first period, the Nationals struck first with 12:48 to go in the second, when Matt Gamblin beat Bozeman for a goal. Joshua Larson helped out with the assist and the Nationals led 1-0.

But, Glacier would lead for just 29 seconds as Gunner Mogck scored to tie the game at 1-1. Then, with 2:03 to go in the period, Mogck scored again and suddenly the Ice Dogs held a 2-1 edge.

Not to be out done, the Nationals responded quickly just as Bozeman had earlier in the period. This time, the goal came from Larson. Gamblin was credited with the assist and the score was tied at 2-2 heading into the third.

The two teams battled to a stand still for much of the third before Larson once again let his presence be felt. With 4:55 left in the game, Larson scored his second goal of the night to put Glacier ahead 3-2.

The Nationals defense and goalie Ryan Lund made sure the one goal lead held up and the Nationals won for the first time in five games, 3-2. Larson was stellar, so was Lund. He stopped 39 Bozeman shots, which earned him the victory.

Then in a rare Sunday matinee, the Nationals and Ice Dogs squared off again with Glacier in pursuit of its first consecutive wins of the season.

Yet, from the outset, it was clear that a different Bozeman had come to play. Just 5:31 into the game, the Ice Dogs grabbed the lead when Walker Lowery beat Nolan Slager to make it 1-0. Then, with 9:31 left in the opening period, Bozeman struck again. Kegan Couture got the goal this time and just like that it was 2-0.

The Ice Dogs were far from finished.

Midway through the second period Couture got his second goal of the game to give the Ice Dogs a 3-0 advantage. And with 3:18 remaining before intermission, Kyler Chartier got in the act to make it 4-0. Larson scored late in the second to get Glacier within three at 4-1 going into the fourth but it simply wasn’t enough.

Bozeman was on a mission to put the game away and did just that with a goal from Austin Charnholm that made the score 5-1 with 13:46 to go. Wyatt Fretheim scored for Glacier to make it 5-2 in favor of Bozeman with just over nine minutes left. But, with 2:03 to play Couture scored on an empty net, which put the game out of reach at 6-2. Bozeman added another goal in the final seconds the make the final score 7-2.

With the split the Nationals are now 4-18-4 on the season and will be back in action this Friday when they travel to Gillette.