Rebels can’t solve Simcoe in home opener loss to Oil Kings
RED DEER, AB – Despite a valiant effort and a 42-shot barrage, the Rebels ultimately fell 3-1 to the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Red Deer Advocate Home Opener at the Marchant Crane Centrium.
It was the second game in a row in which the Rebels outshot and out-chanced their opponent on the heels of Friday’s shootout loss in Calgary. The Rebels also were victimized by two more off bounces that led to Edmonton goals that proved to be the difference.
“In the second and third periods, Edmonton pushed back, and they were physical,” noted Rebels head coach Brent Kisio, after his club outshot Edmonton 23-5 in the first.
“Our guys worked hard; we were around the net. We have to get a bit more traffic in front of the net. The chances are there; we’ve just got to bring it home.”
Edmonton claimed the early lead on the power play when Jensen Marsh floated a centering pass through the slot that deflected off a Rebels defender’s stick and past goalie Matthew Kondro.
Kalder Varga answered for the Rebels six minutes later when he pounced on a loose puck off a face-off and went bar-down on Edmonton netminder Ethan Simcoe for his first goal of the season.
A scoreless second left the game to be decided over the final 20 minutes.
Cole Landreville was credited with the go-ahead goal after his shot off the end boards then off of Kondro and in for another Oil Kings power play tally.
Red Deer pushed back, peppering Simcoe with shots in search of the equalizer. But with the Rebels pressing late, Kayden Stroeder added an empty-net goal to seal Edmonton’s 3-1 win.
Kondro kept the door open for the Rebels, turning aside 23 shots and coming up with several big saves in the third period to keep the game within reach. But Simcoe was the star of the show on this night in shooting down 41 of the 42 shots he faced.
Red Deer went 0-for-7 on the powerplay, while Edmonton converted twice on six opportunities.
BRANDT THREE STARS:
- Ethan Simcoe (EDM)
- Zeb Lindgren (RD)
- Aaron Obobaifo (EDM)
WHAT THEY SAID
Kalder Varga
NOTES: Rebels scratches for the game included Cameron Dillard, Noah Chadi, Nolan Schmidt and Beckett Hamilton (Colorado Avalanche Camp) … Attendance for the game was 4021… After winning just %38 percent of faceoffs Friday in Calgary, the Rebels were much improved in winning 76% of puck drops versus the Oil Kings … Red Deer is now 0-1-0-1 to start the season and has lost 11-straight to Edmonton dating back to 2024.
NEXT UP: The Rebels hit the road Friday, September 25, taking on the Hurricanes at 7 p.m. inside VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
