Glacier Nationals sporting new look, attitude, more skill

The Glacier Nationals struggled on and off the ice last year in their inaugural season in the Tier III junior Northern Pacific Hockey League.

The result was a 6-32-1 record and a last-place finish, but this year’s roster is loaded with new faces who bring better attitudes and more skill according to coach Joakim Falt.

“I think the skill is higher,” Falt said. “We have higher skill and better team morale.”

Forward Evan Carter (Portland, Ore.) and defenseman Kyle Watne (Post Falls, Idaho), two of the few returning players from last year’s squad, agreed that this year’s team has better chemistry off the ice.

“Last year people hated being with each other, but this year everyone likes each other pretty much,” Carter said.

“A lot more camaraderie I would say,” Watne added.

“We all get along a lot better than last year.”

The Nationals are 1-1 this season after a split with West Sound in their opening series. They lost 6-1 in their opener on Sept. 28 before bouncing back with an 8-6 win on Sept. 29.

“I think we’re tough to play against because we compete,” Falt said. “We play hard, we don’t really lay down.”

Among the new faces already playing a big role are forward Sebastian Adnell (Stockholm, Sweden), forward Bill Boberg (Littleton, Colo.) and defenseman Brandon Vitale (Portage, Mich.).

Adnell, one of the team’s bigger players at 6-foot, 200 pounds, assisted Glacier’s only goal in their season-opening 6-1 loss.

“He’s making a big impact,” Watne said. “He’s got good size, good hands and a good shot.”

Boberg, who recently moved from defense to forward, has three goals in Glacier’s first two games, while Vitale has anchored the defense.

Eight players returned from last year’s roster, including leading scorers Tucker Spooner (Beaverton, Ore.) and Paul Kinder (Detroit). Spooner had 38 points in 36 games last year and scored a hat trick in Glacier’s win over West Sound. Kinder led last year’s team with 18 goals in 34 games.

Six-foot-3, 230-pound defenseman Conor Walsh (Conifer, Colo.) also returns.

“The kids that return are all the guys we wanted to have back, so I like them all,” Falt said.

The Nationals have potted nine goals through two games, but they’ve also conceded 12, a sign that last year’s defensive struggles aren’t quite behind them. Glacier averaged 5.85 goals against last season.

“We’re letting in too many goals,” Adell said. “We have to stop that.”

Staying out of the penalty box would help as Glacier has racked up 85 minutes through two games.

“If we stay out of the penalty box, it’s tough to beat us,” Falt said. “The skill is a little bit better, they’re all a little bit better skaters this year than last year, but we need to stop taking penalties. That’s evil.”

The addition of goaltender Tyler Hubert (Philadelphia) should also help improve Glacier’s defense. Hubert joined the team this week and Falt hopes he’ll be added to the roster in time for today’s home opener.

“I’m really hoping to see him in net,” Falt said. “He looks really good out there and it will help a lot.”

The new-look Nationals will be tested today and Saturday in a series against the Helena Bighorns, a team that finished in second place in the American West Hockey League last season. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Stumptown Ice Den in Whitefish.

“We’ll see how good we are after this weekend,” Falt said.