WHITEFISH — The league-leading Helena Bighorns overwhelmed the Glacier Nationals 13-1 to earn their fifth straight American West Hockey League win Saturday evening at Stumptown Ice Den.

The Bighorns scored four goals in the first 13 minutes, prompting the Nationals to replace goaltender Pierre Gustafsson with Ethan Wiese, and added a fifth goal on the power play before the first period expired.

Helena (18-1-1) added three more goals in the second period and made Glacier (9-12) pay for its lack of discipline in the third when it scored five power play goals.

“They were too good for us, pretty much in every area,” Nationals coach Joakim Falt said.

The schedule didn’t do Glacier any favors. The Nationals lost 6-3 in Great Falls the previous evening and Falt said they didn’t arrive back in Whitefish until around 4 a.m.

“It’s tough, they’re too young for that,” he said. “That’s pro hockey.”

Sebastian Hansson led Helena with three goals while Corbin Belling and John Bonta each scored twice.

Glacier’s lone goal came eight minutes and 41 seconds into the second period when Karson Frisk received a breakout pass from Adam Dalton in the neutral zone skated in one-on-one and beat Bighorns goaltender Austin Brihn with a backhand high to the glove side.

Nationals forward Chris Cutshall forced Brihn to make a nifty kick save less than a minute later but Helena regained control when Hansson blasted a one-timer past Wiese for his third goal.

Cutshall also had a good scoring chance in the first period when his wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle deflected off Brihn’s right arm and landed on the goal line before it was cleared.

Both teams got ornery in the third period. Dalton was ejected for checking from behind and a fight broke out between Glacier’s Padraic Ripple and Hansson. One Bighorn left the ice on a stretcher with what appeared to be a concussion and four major penalties were assessed during the frame.

Helena dominated puck possession and outshot Glacier 72-18. Gustafsson stopped 14 of the 18 shots he faced while Wiese stopped 45 of 54.

The Nationals have lost two in a row and will look to get on track Friday when they travel to Gillette, Wyo., for a two-game series against the Wild.

Helena 5 3 5 — 13

Glacier 0 1 0 — 1

First Period

Hel - Corbin Belling (assists Theo Campe, Nick Okada), 4:44

Hel - Damon Hanson (Austin Loes, Connor Dunn), 9:59

Hel - Brandt Miller (Austin Buckholtz, Ryan Webber), 11:12

Hel - Sebastian Hansson (unassisted), 12:06

Hel - Hansson, power play (Hanson, Webber)

Second Period

Gla - Karson Frisk (Adam Dalton, Tanner Dodd), 8:41

Hel - Hansson (Matt Mohar, John Bonta), 11:12

Hel - Belling (Hanson), 13:08

Hel - Buckholtz (Rory Bock, Bonta), 14:23

Third Period

Hel - Bonta, power play (Miller), 4:23

Hel - Parker Olson, power play (Belling, Okada), 9:04

Hel - Bonta, power play (Campe, Okada), 11:27

Hel - Loes, power play (Okada, Miller), 13:30

Hel - Mohar, power play (Miller, Campe), 14:57

———

Shots on goal - Helena 72, Glacier 18. Saves - Helena 17 (Austin Brihn), Glacier 59 (Pierre Gustafsson 14, Ethan Wiese 45). Power plays - Helena 6-11, Glacier 0-6. Penalty minutes - Helena 41, Glacier 73.