Rebels answer the call in Game 4 with 4-3 win
RED DEER – With the Red Deer Rebels season on the line, the club pushed past the Prince Albert Raiders to take a 4-3 win Wednesday night at the Marchant Crane Centrium.
Matthew Kondro put on a masterclass between the pipes and kept the Rebels in striking distance throughout the first 40 minutes. Cameron Dillard found the puck luck to get the Rebels rolling with a pair of timely goals, Beckett Hamilton came up clutch to tie the game and Kalder Varga sealed the win with a game winning powerplay strike that electrified the crowd.
“We’re a proud group that works hard and plays an honest game,” noted Rebels head coach Marc Habscheid.
“We didn’t play like it in the first period. And from then on, I think that goal by Dillard obviously helped at the end of the first, got it to 2-1, and then you could just see our game started coming in the second period.”
The win keeps the Rebels alive in the series, sending them back to Prince Albert on Friday, April 3, for Game 5 of the best-of-seven showdown, with the Raiders holding a 3-1 series edge.
Stats Story:
Matthew Kondro (RD) – 35 saves, win
Cameron Dillard (RD) – 2 goals
Beckett Hamilton (RD) – 1 goal, 1 assist
How it Happened:
The Raiders came out swinging and five minutes in, Brandon Gorzynski capitalized on a deflection from a blocked shot to beat Kondro and put the Raiders on the board.
Prince Albert doubled their lead when Daxon Rudolph blasted home a point shot six seconds into a Raiders power play.
But the Rebels weren’t about to let the night slip away. With seconds left in the first, Cameron Dillard ripped a shot from the left point through traffic and past Raiders netminder Michal Orsulak. The blast gave Dillard his first goal as a Rebel.
Dillard files it top shelf! 🗃️#RDREBELS #WHLPlayoffs #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/WZaZyrom4y
— X-Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) April 2, 2026
The second period saw more magic from Dillard as his shot from the right point glanced off two Raiders defenders and in for a 2-2 score.
Wind him up and let him go! Dillard for two! #RDRebels #WHLPlayoffs #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/CGJ16eEFez
— X-Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) April 2, 2026
Connor Howe answered for the Raiders, finishing a pass from Ben Harvey to put Prince Albert back on top, 3-2.
Red Deer reclaimed momentum when Beckett Hamilton weaved around the circle and fired a sharp shot that trickled past Orsulak.
Hamilton clocks in in Game 4. #RDREBELS #WHLPlayoffs #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/B4Vjbo8eCf
— X-Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) April 2, 2026
With the season on the line, and the score knotted at three apiece, it all came down to the final frame. Early in the third, Kalder Varga lit the crowd on fire, cashing in on a powerplay opportunity from the slot.
Varga cashes in! 💰🫰#RDREBELS #WHLPlayoffs #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/PYvNnJVK5a
— X-Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) April 2, 2026
The Rebels with the 4-3 lead, the game shifted into a defensive battle. As the Rebels put their bodies on the line, Kondro was rock-solid with 35 saves, while Orsulak made nine stops to keep the scoreboard honest.
Special teams played a role in the win as Red Deer converted on one-of-three powerplay chances, while the Raiders managed just one-of-six.
Prince Albert outshot Red Deer 38-13 and were held to 1-for-6 on power plays while the Rebels were 1-for-3.
Brandt Three Stars
1. Matthew Kondro (RD)
2. Beckett Hamilton (RD)
3. Cameron Dillard (RD)
What They Said:
Marc Habscheid
Kalder Varga
Notes:
Rebels defenceman Graeme Pickering suited up for his first WHL Playoff game … Rebels scratches for the game were Noah Chadi, Poul Andersen and Matej Mikes, along with affiliate players Chace Turchak, Cash Arcand-Vandale and Nolan Wolitski … Attendance at the Marchant Crane Centrium was 3,052.
Next up:
Back to Prince Albert go the Rebels for Game 5 at the Art Houser Centre with a 7 p.m. puck drop Friday, April 3 (REWIND 106.7/Victory+).
