Nationals sweep the Quake in Wyoming

Those who have watched the Glacier Nationals over the past few weeks have known they were improving, but after the Nationals won back-to-back games this past weekend for the first time this season, everyone else now knows it, too.

The Nationals made the long trip to Cody, Wyoming for a two-game set against the Yellowstone Quake and after knocking off their Frontier division rivals 3-2 Friday and 8-5 Saturday, the trip proved to be well worth it.

The action started Friday and it didn’t take long for Glacier to build some early momentum on the road against the Quake as Matt Gamblin found the back of the net at the 4:39 mark of the first period to give the Nationals a 1-0 edge.

Following a score by the Quake that evened the game up at 1-1 at the end of the first period, the Nationals reclaimed the lead just 25 seconds into the second period, when Blake Evennou scored a power-play goal that was assisted by Joshua Larson to put Glacier on top 2-1.

The Quake got the tying goal from Max Doner just 41 seconds later but the Nationals were not deterred. And with time winding down in the second, Karson Frisk scored to give Glacier a 3-2 advantage. From there, Ryan Lund and the Nationals defense made it stick.

Lund finished the game with 32 saves, allowing just two goals on 34 shots, to earn the victory as the Quake were unable to get the equalizer in the third period.

Saturday’s game may not have been as intense in the final minutes but it certainly had more than its fair share of offensive firepower.

This time, it was the Quake,who struck first and grabbed a 1-0 lead just three minutes into the game. Yet, the Nationals would not be held without scoring for long as Tommy Kaddatz scored two goals in a 3:33 minute span to put Glacier ahead 2-1 after one.

The Quake came out firing in the second period to take a 3-2 lead but it would not last long. Brandon Huntington scored to tie the game at 3-3 before Doner found the net again to give the Quake the 4-3 lead but that’s when the Nationals took over.

Wyatt Freitheim scored to even things up at 4-4. Then, Kaddatz got the hat trick with his third goal late in the second to help Glacier reclaim a 5-4 lead. But, he wasn’t finished and just three minutes later, Kaddatz scored his fourth goal of the night to put the Nationals ahead 6-4 heading into the third.

Yellowstone did manage to score in the third on a goal by Ross Mullen but it was sandwiched between a pair of goals by Glacier’s Tyler McMahon and Larson to give the Nationals an 8-5 advantage that proved to be insurmountable.

Nolan Slager earned the win for Glacier after stopping 39 of the 44 shots he faced, while Lance Knudson was hit with the loss for the Quake after surrendering eight goals.

With the two-game sweep, the Nationals improved to 8-25-5 on the season and are now in a tie for fifth place with 21 points compared to Bozeman, which sits in last with 19.

The Nationals will try to keep their winning ways going this Saturday when they will travel to Great Falls to take on the first-place Great Falls Americans.