Nationals ice their first win

Both the Glacier Nationals and the Billings Bulls came into this past weekend’s back-to-back winless. But after both games were played, each team would walk away with a win.

The two teams met for back-to-back games within the Frontier Division of the North American Tier 3 Hockey League in Sidney Friday and Saturday night. The Bulls got the best of the Nationals Friday by the score of 7-4. Yet, the Nationals responded Saturday with a 5-2 victory, their first of the season. With the split, Glacier is now 1-5-1 on the season and has four points in the Frontier standings.

On Friday night, in the first game between the two teams, the Bulls jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the opening period. In the second, the Bulls added three more goals to make the score 5-2 heading into the third and final stanza.

Yet, Glacier wouldn’t quit. Marivn Simmons scored early in the third to trim the Billings’ lead to 5-3. The Bulls would add another goal, but Tyler McMahon, who scored a goal for the Nationals in the first and second periods, completed a hat-trick by scoring for the third time getting Glacier within two at 6-4. Yet, Luke Erickson scored less than two minutes later to wrap up the 7-4 win for Billings.

Gage Overby got the win in net for the Bulls as he stopped 30 of 34 shots fired at him by the Nationals. Meanwhile, Ben Perone was hit with the loss for Glacier as he managed to save just 25 of the 32 Billings’ shots on goal.

On Saturday, Glacier opened up the scoring in the game as Wyatt Fretheim beat Overby just 1:28 into the game to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead, which they would take in the second period.

Billings managed to tie the score midway through the second period, but Dustin Foran scored with just under six minutes to go in the period to put the Nationals back in front by the score of 2-1 entering the third.

In the final stanza, the Nationals left no doubt about who would be the victor. McMahon scored his fourth goal in two games, while Collin Schieman and William Bostick each added goals to seal the 5-2 win.

One night after being hit with the loss, Perone put together a spectacular performance in net for Glacier as he turned away 44 of 46 shots on goals by Billings. Overby got the loss after surrendering five goals.

The Nationals will look to make it two in a row this weekend when they will host Gillette for back-to-back games inside the Havre Ice Dome. The Nationals and Wild will square off Friday night at 8 p.m., followed by a 7:30 p.m. start time Saturday.quare off Friday night at 8 p.m., followed by a 7:30 p.m. start time on Saturday.