Nationals face off with Bruins in the Ice Dome

The Glacier Nationals won't take long to get back on the ice after the Thanksgiving holiday, in fact, they won't wait longer than tonight, when they will play the first of back-to-back games against the Missoula Junior Bruins.

Glacier, which has yet to play Missoula, who just joined the North American Tier 3 Hockey League and the Frontier Division this season. The Nationals and the Junior Bruins will start tonight's game at 8. The two teams will meet against Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Both contests will be held inside the Havre Ice Dome.

Coming in, this is an important two-game set for both teams. The Nationals (1-17-1) have just three points in the standings and are looking for any kind of positive result on the scoreboard. Missoula, on the other hand, is 10-7-1 and with 21 points, is squarely in the race for one of the Frontier's four available playoff berths.

The top four spots currently belong to Yellowstone with 33, Great Falls with 25, Gillette with 25 and Bozeman with 22. Missoula (21) and Helena (15) are also in contention. Billings with nine and Glacier with three bring up the rear of the standings.

At one time, the Junior Bruins were the hottest team in the Frontier as prior to the three-game losing streak they bring into Havre, they had won seven straight. The Nationals on the other hand, are winless in their last 11 games.

In terms of goal differential, the Junior Bruins are one of the better teams in the division as they have an overall goal differential of plus 14, which ranks fourth. In that same category, Glacier is well behind the pack at -104.

The Bruins have a talented offense, one that has scored 68 goals this season and it's led by two skilled skaters in Misha Akatnov, who has 17 goals and 12 assists, as well as Payton McSharry, who has 25 points, thanks to 13 goals and 12 assists. Missoula also has a solid player in net with Tanner Loucks, who is 4-3 this season with a 2.97 goals against average.

The Nationals will be looking to rebound from back-to-back scoreless losses to Great Falls and Helena. Glacier's leading goal scorer for the season is Jamahl Eckett, who has six goals to go along with two assists. Gavin Cline has also been a key part of the offense with five goals and six assists. Zach Houck has also been a key facilitator and has a team-high nine assists.

The Nationals will be playing with either Brendan Schultz or Will Langstaff in net against the Junior Bruins. The first puck will drop between the two teams tonight at 8. They will meet again inside the Havre Ice Dome Saturday at 7:30 p.m.