Glacier snaps losing streak

The Glacier Nationals have a habit of ending long losing streaks against the Billings Bulls. They did it back in October and last Friday, inside the Havre Ice Dome, the Nationals did it again.

After going winless in 29 consecutive games, the Nationals topped Billings Friday night in the first of back-to-back games between the two teams over the weekend in Havre. The win was the first for Glacier since Oct. 8 when it beat Billings by the same score. The victory was also the second the of the season for the Nationals, who are now 2-37-1, following a 7-3 defeat at the hands of the Bulls Saturday.

From the start of the game Friday, the Nationals played well and controlled the first period. Yet, both teams were scoreless until Brandon Huntington scored and gave Glacier a 1-0 edge after the first 20 minutes.

In the second period, the Nationals quickly built on their lead as Gavin Cline found the back of the net, to make it 2-0. Billings answered and trimmed the deficit to 2-1, but Glacier responded with goals from Matt Baerg and another from Dillon Lindholm to make it 4-1 and to take a 4-2 advantage into the third.

Early in the final stanza, Lindros Beard scored another goal for the Nationals, which made it 5-2. Billings got within two again at 5-3, but a second goal by Beard, this time with just 1:59 left on the clock, put the win on ice.

Brendan Schultz got the win in net for the Nationals, after stopping 47 of the 50 shots that he faced from Billings. Simo Huhtanen was given the loss after allowing five goals on 47 shots.

Saturday, with a chance for consecutive wins for the first time all season, Glacier flew out of the gates and scored the first two goals of the game thanks to Beard and Tim Vantinen. Billings answered with two goals to tie the game, but as the opening period came to a close, Glacier led 3-2, thanks to a goal by Hayden Moistner.

The two teams played to a stand still in the second period, which gave Glacier a 3-2 advantage with 20 minutes left on the clock. Yet, five Billings goals, including two in the last two minutes, gave the Bulls the come-from-behind 7-3 win. Chayo Goodwin was the winning goalie for Billings; Schultz was given the loss for Glacier.

The Nationals will play a pair of road games against Gillette this week. The first game of the back-to-back will be Friday.