Nationals head out on the road for a stretch

By Saturday night, the Glacier Nationals and the Billings Bulls are going to be sick of each other and after they square off for the third time in eight days, who could blame them.

The Nationals (1-6-1) and the Bulls (3-3) will meet tonight in the first of back-to-back games within the Frontier Division of the North American Tier 3 Hockey League. Billings will host both games with the action getting underway at 7:30 p.m.

The two teams also met last Friday in Havre, when the Bulls escaped the Havre Ice Dome with a 5-3 victory thanks to a pair of goals in the final five minutes.

Glacier, which is playing its first season in the NA3HL, got off to a slow start in the 2014-15 season, but after going winless in their first four games, they have earned points in two of their last three. The last point they got was particularly impressive as it was earned by taking the Helena Bighorns to overtime before falling 3-2.

Leading the way for the Nationals as they head into Billings tonight will be defenseman Wyatt Fretheim, who boasts a team-high five points after scoring two goals and assisting on three others.

Forward Brendan Jester has also gotten off a to a hot start this season and equals Fretheim in points with five thanks to one goal scored and four assists.

While Jester and Fretheim lead in overall points, the Nationals top goal scorer through eight games is Karson Frisk, who has found the net three times and is the only player on the roster who was with the Nationals before they relocated to Havre in the offseason.

Other key contributors for Glacier include Sam Shaheen, who has two goals and one assist, as well as Tyler McMahon, who has one goal and three assists.

Billings will counter with Tristan Henrichs, who has a team-high five goals and three assists as well as T.J. Theodosopoulos, who has eight total points on the season thanks to three goals and five assists through six games.

Defenseman Ian Eshbaugh is another threat for the Bulls who already had three goals and two assists so far for the Bulls.

Both teams have used a variety of players in net but recently the top spot for the Nationals has belonged to Nolan Slager, who has a 1-2-1 record in five starts to along with a goals against average of 4.25.

Ryan Lund, who is 0-4 in four starts and has a goals-against average of 6.25 could also see time against Billings as could Tommy Adams, who has yet to see the ice this season for Glacier.

The likely starter in net for the Bulls will be Cole Semchak, who is 2-2 in four starts with a superb goals-against average of 2.92. Ray Smith and Alexander Meagher may also see time between the pipes this weekend against the Nationals.

The Bulls are currently fourth in the Frontier standings with six points, while the Nationals are tied for fifth place with three. It's early to talk about the playoffs but only four of the seven teams make it and if Glacier comes away from this weekend with no points, Billings' lead in the standings could get as high as seven points.

Getting a win or even coming away with a point would be huge for the upstart Nationals, who are going head-to-head with one of the most experienced teams in the Frontier. The first puck will drop tonight and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.