Gard’s hat trick powers Rebels to 4-2 win over Wheat Kings
Another game. Another hat trick.
Matthew Gard had three goals to lift the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday night at the Centrium.
Red Deer scored all four goals on the power play in this mid-week tilt as Gard and Ollie Josephson combined for two goals, Talon Brigley added three helpers and Jhett Larson lit the lamp for a second-straight game.
Red Deer and Brandon split the season series with Red Deer claiming two wins at home and the Wheat Kings winning twice in the Wheat City.
STATS STORY
Matthew Gard (RD) – 3 goals
Talon Brigley (RD) – 3 assists
Ollie Josephson (RD) – 2 assists
Kalan Lind (RD) – 2 assists
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Rebels picked up their first powerplay goal of the night with 7:57 left in the first period. Jhett Larson and Ollie Josephson went back and forth before Josephson put the puck on net, where Matthew Gard cashed in the rebound.
On Gard! 🫡#RDREBELS | #WHL pic.twitter.com/JQcTNC9u67
— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) March 5, 2025
Into the middle frame, Jhett Larson got his stick on a pass from Samuel Drancak then stuffed home a rebound past Wheat Kings goalie Ethan Eskit for his second man advantage tally in as many games.
Larson lights the lamp in back-to-back games! 🚨#RDREBELS | #WHL pic.twitter.com/LneY7XG1Rb
— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) March 5, 2025
Brandon’s Caleb Hadland, from Sylvan Lake, took matters into his own hands as he skated the length of the ice to pop it past Rebels goalie Peyton Shore to make it a 2-1 contest.
With 1:27 left in the period, Joby Baumuller tied the game at two a piece.
Brandon found itself with a three-minute power play following a series of events in which Larson was given a major and game misconduct for boarding. But the Rebels penalty kill shut the door to keep the game tied.
Then Red Deer, after Wheat Kings star Roger McQueen was ejected for boarding for a hit on Beckett Hamilton, went on a three-minute power play of their own. It would prove to be the deciding part of the game.
Once again, Josephson put the puck on net where Gard tipped it from midair past Eskit for his second goal of the game.
Joesphson ➡️ Gard 🔥#RDREBELS | #WHL pic.twitter.com/8KJPFOBXwc
— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) March 5, 2025
Gard’s first WHL career hat trick was completed a minute and 20 seconds later. Kalan Lind sent a cross-crease pass from the corner to the tape of number 9 to tuck in his third of the evening.
Hats off to Gard! 🎩🎩🎩#RDREBELS | #WHL pic.twitter.com/Iw6EEVfVYf
— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) March 5, 2025
With an empty net, Brandon tried to claw back but the Rebels held them without a shot to seal the two-goal win.
Red Deer outshot the Wheat Kings 36-26 and was four-for-five on the power play while holding Brandon to 0-for-4.
THREE STARS
1. Gard (RD)
2. Brigley (RD)
3. Hadland (RD)
WHAT THEY SAID
Rebels head coach Dave Struch…
Matthew Gard…
NOTES
Out of the line-up for the Rebels were Jaxon Fuder (upper), Parker MacDougall, Nishaan Parmar, Dmitri Toporowski, Jack Bousquet and Chase Wutzke (upper) … Wutzke was nicked up during morning skate and did not dress for the game. Matthew Kondro, called up from the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons, backed up Shore … Red Deer has hat tricks in back-to-back games (Coupland, Gard) after not having one scored all season long … Larson has goals in back-to-back games … Talon Brigley and Ollie Josephson each have five points in their last two games … Shore has won four of his last five starts, allowing just six goals against in those victories … Brandon’s last win at the Centrium was on Nov. 19, 2022 … Attendance for the game was 2,933.
NEXT UP
Red Deer hosts the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday, March 7, at 7 P.M. at the Centrium (TICKETS).
