Wild blow by Nationals in Gillette

The Glacier Nationals were hoping to build on a streak-busting win over the Billings Bulls last Friday night in Havre. Unfortunately, the Gillette Wild were just too good.

Glacier made its last long road trip of the season, traveling to Gillette, Wyoming for a pair of NA3HL Frontier Division games against the Wild — and falling in both contests.

Gillette has one of the top defenses in the Frontier, and it showed both nights. On Friday night, the Wild beat the Nationals 12-2 and allowed Glacier just 18 shots on goalies Lincoln Riley and Robbie Brennan. Glacier did get a first-period score from William Wallace, which momentarily tied the game at 1-1. But Nick Stockert netted two goals to give the Wild a 4-1 lead at the end of the first. Gillette scored three more to start the second period, before Matt Barg scored on assists by Brendan Echelbarger and Brandon Huntington, but from there, the Wild scored five times in the third, as Glacier goalie Will Langstaff was peppered with 58 shots, saving 46.

Things didn’t get any easier for the Nationals Saturday night either as the Wild came right back and won 11-2. Gillette started the game off by scoring four goals before Huntington closed the first with his fifth goal of the season.

The Wild would net three more scores in the second period, and four in the third. Glacier’s second goal came from Wyatt Mattfeldt at the 18:02 mark of the third. Langstaff was under fire again, facing 54 Gillette shots on goal. On the other side of the ice, Glacier managed to get just seven shots on Riley, who saved five of them.

Glacier will be back on home ice this Friday night, as the Nationals square off with the Great Falls Americans.