Mayo’s hat trick leads Rebels past top-ranked Blades
Rebels 5 Blades 4
Call it a statement win.
The Red Deer Rebels showed Wednesday night that they’re capable of beating a stacked team even while short-handed.
Veteran defenceman Hunter Mayo recorded a hat trick and Chase Wutzke made 31 saves, including at least a half dozen of the outstanding variety, as the Rebels topped the Saskatoon Blades 5-4 in a doozy of a WHL contest witnessed by 3,005 fans at the Peavey Mart Centrium.
“It was good to get that win against the first place team,” said Mayo, in reference to the fact that the Blades are not only first overall in the WHL but also the No. 1 ranked team in the CHL.
“I think we were all gelling pretty good today. We just outworked them and when talent outworks skill you usually come out on top.”
The game didn’t start on a positive note for the home side. The visitors scored just 39 seconds in as Rowan Calvert hauled in a stretch pass from Tyler Parr, broke in alone and beat Wutzke high to the glove side.
“The first goal against we just made maybe a little nervous mistake that put us on our heels,” said Rebels head coach Derrick Walser.
The Rebels, missing five regulars including top pair defenceman Mats Lindgren, didn’t let the early marker rattle them as Talon Brigley evened the count just over three minutes later, converting his own rebound off the back boards.
Frantisek Formanek scored a go-ahead tally for Red Deer at the 6:27 mark, taking a pass from Kai Uchacz and beating goalie Austin Elliott glove side with a quick release.
Fraser Minten pulled the Blades even just under five minutes later, working off the half boards and into the low slot, before Mayo notched his first of three goals with a bullet from 35 feet.
Saskatoon drew even once again before the period ended on a fluke marker. Minten’s shot hit the top of the net and bounced to Brandon Lisowsky who redirected it home while skating by the goal.
Calvert notched his second of the night on a power play tip to restore the Blades’ lead early in the second period, but Wutzke shut the door the rest of the way. His glove save on Alexander Suzdalev with 20 seconds remaining was a game saver.
“He’s got to be your best (penalty) killer and he was tonight,” said Walser. “It’s not an easy game for him. The first shot on net and then a couple of fluky ones to get by him.
“It just shows his character, his mindset. He’s just there to compete and he came through in the end for us. Well done by him.”
Mayo potted a tying goal at 14:28 of the middle frame, making good on the Rebels’ lone power play with a slapshot from the point, then scored the eventual winner 81 seconds later, catching the top of the net from high in the right circle.
“I tried out a new stick today and obviously it worked,” said the fourth-year blueliner who scored 18 times last season and whose three-goal outing was the first of his WHL career.
“The shot decision was right,” said Walser. “The confidence is something that sometimes you can lose a bit, but he’s starting to find it.
“You just have to hit the net, that’s the one thing — getting shots. It’s not always how hard it is, it’s just getting it through at the right time and tonight he was excellent.
“There’s always a different hero each night. We don’t count on one guy to score, we count on the group, we count on the team. It’s never about points, the only points that matter are the standing points. That’s what we talk about all the time.”
The Rebels were relentless on the forecheck and also had active sticks — and timely blocks, including one by Brigley as time expired — in a scoreless third period and, again, Wutzke came up big when the Blades did threaten.
“It was one of those games where the last shot wins and we just wanted to make sure we were forechecking hard,” said Walser. “That’s how we play.”
Besides Lindgren, who was absent due to a family matter, the Rebels were without injured forwards Carson Birnie, Carson Latimer and Matthew Gard along with netminder Rhett Stoesser, with all but Latimer listed as day-to-day.
Star defenceman Tanner Molendyk started the game for the Blades but left partway through. Molendyk had returned to the Saskatoon lineup this past weekend after suffering a wrist injury playing for Team Canada at the recent World Juniors. Overage forward Easton Armstrong was among Saskatoon’s other scratches for the game.
“They (Blades) had injuries too, everyone is banged up at this time of the year,” said Walser, whose club recorded its fifth win in a row.
“It’s massive to build off of, but it’s over and done with. We have another one in two days in Medicine Hat and we just have to keep this rolling,” he added. “I love our group, we have a lot of heart, we have a lot of passion and a lot of soul.
“But again, it’s one day at a time. We have a long second half here. We just have to keep getting better and better each night.”
We present Heinz’s latest mayo mashup: Mayotrick.@Rebelshockey | #WHLHatTricks pic.twitter.com/iLA5u6MRAr
— The WHL (@TheWHL) January 18, 2024
Notable: Elliott stopped eight of 11 shots for the Blades before being replaced by Evan Gardner in the first period. Gardner made 14 saves on 16 shots the rest of the way . . . The Blades were one-for-three on the power play . . . The three stars: (1) Mayo, who had an assist to go with his three goals, (2) Minten, and (3) Brigley, who had a goal and one helper . . . as per @GeoffreyBrandow on Twitter/X – Mayo is the first Rebels defenceman to score a hat trick since Dion Phaneuf on January 26, 2003 vs. Medicine Hat . . . Following Friday’s contest in Medicine Hat, the Rebels will host the Prince Albert Raiders Saturday.
(Photos by Taylor Lachance)
