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Nationals hit the road for tough Frontier games

The Glacier Nationals got a break in the schedule last weekend, playing just one game. Now, after seven days off, Glacier is ready to get back on the ice and hopefully back in the win column.

The Nationals, who are part of the North Tier 3 Hockey League, will take part in Frontier Division play this weekend, travelling first to take on the Great Falls Americans in Great Falls tonight, followed by a road game against Helena Saturday.

As much as the Nationals have struggled to win at home, they have yet to get in the win column on the road and doing so tonight, against Great Falls, the third-place team in the eight-team division will be no easy task.

The Americans, who are a perennial playoff team, come into tonight's game with a total of 21 points and a record of 9-3-1. The Americans win mostly due to their defense, which has allowed just 39 goals this season, which amounts to 2.6 per game. Yet, Great Falls is no slouch offensively either, scoring 68 goals, which is tied for third in the division.

Glacier, on the other hand, sits in the Frontier cellar with just three points, has allowed a league-high 113 goals and scored a league-low 29. Yet, the Nationals did take a more aggressive approach on the ice last week and have been more competitive when it comes to shots per game.

The Nationals have still had difficulty turning those chances into goals, but Gavin Cline, who has 11 total points (five goals, six assists) Jamahl Eckhart, who has a team-high six goals and Lindros Beard, who has nine points thanks to four goals and five assists, will be hoping to change that. The Nationals will also be relying heavily on Brendan Schultz, who has done the majority of the goaltending for Glacier this season.

After taking on Great Falls Saturday, the Nationals will pay a visit to Helena, to take on a Bighorns team that just defeated Glacier 6-2 last Friday in the Havre Ice Dome. Helena, which is sixth in the Frontier standings, got a hat trick and three goals from Jarrett Scheibel in the four-goal victory. Bradley Estrada is another key offensive threat for Helena. He has 11 total goals this season.

The Bighorns also have an advantage in net. They will look to Alex Kruger, who is 3-3-1 this season and has a goals against average of 3.43 per game. While Glacier is in last in the Frontier with three points, Billings is seventh with seven and Helena is sixth with 13.

The Yellowstone Quake are leading the way with 29 points, the Gilette Wild are second with 23, Great Falls it third with 21, the Missoula Bruins are in fourth with as well and fifth is Bozeman with 18.

The Nationals will take on Great Falls tonight and Helena Saturday. Both games will start at 7:30 p.m.

 

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