Rebels dominate in shutout win in Brandon
BRANDON – A squad of fresh faces delivered a statement on the road as the Red Deer Rebels blanked the Brandon Wheat Kings 4-0 on Wednesday night at Assiniboine Credit Union Place.
With chemistry building shift by shift, the Rebels got contributions across the lineup. Matus Lisy opened the scoring, Ty Coupland added a highlight-reel tally, newcomer Kalder Varga stayed hot, and captain Talon Brigley put the finishing touch on a complete team effort. Between the pipes, Peyton Shore was rock solid, turning aside every shot he faced to earn his first shutout of the season and secure two big points for Red Deer.
The win moves the Rebels to 12-20-2-2 on the season and vaults them past the Regina Pats into eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
STATS STORY:
Matej Mikes (RD) – 1 goal, 1 assist
Cameron Kuzma (RD) – 2 assists
Peyton Shore RD – 35 saves, shutout win
HOW IT HAPPENED:
For the first time in 12 games, the Red Deer Rebels got on the board first, and they never let up.
Matej Mikes won a faceoff back to Matus Lisy, whose wrist shot from the blue line found a clean lane to the net trickling past Wheat Kings’ goaltender Jayden Kraus for the Slovakian blue liner’s third goal of the season.
Ty Coupland added some flair in the second period, catching a breakout feed from newcomer Cameron Kuzma. Coupland danced around the Wheat Kings’ defense before unleashing a backhand goal straight out of the highlight reel.
If the highlight reel had favorites, this would be one. 🎞️⭐
Ty Coupland extends the @Rebelshockey lead to 2! pic.twitter.com/TotkEKu4PT
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) January 8, 2026
The Rebels put the game out of reach in the third. Newcomers Cole Temple and Kalder Varga teamed up on a two-on-one, with Temple firing the initial shot and Varga cleaning up the rebound for his second goal in as many games.
Later, Rebels captain Talon Brigley tried to drop the puck back to Kuzma, but the puck bounced right back to him for his 13th of the season, sealing the win.
Peyton Shore was rock-solid between the pipes, stopping 35 shots, while Red Deer peppered Kraus with 42 attempts.
Both squads went 0-for-4 on the powerplay.
BRANDT THREE STARS:
Peyton Shore (RD)
Matus Lisy (RD)
Jayden Kraus (BDN)
NOTES:
Rebels scratches for the game included forwards Grayden Peterson, Samuel Drancak and Owen Shadrick … The Rebels won both their visits to Brandon this season having also downed the Wheat Kings 7-4 on November 11 … Athletic Therapist Terence Robertson was back behind the Rebels bench after returning from the World Juniors where he was part of Team Canada’s staff … Brigley played career game #298 putting alone in second place in team history – three back of the franchise record.
NEXT UP:
The eastern road trip continues for the Rebels as they make their next stop in Regina on Friday, January 9 to play the Pats at 6 p.m. MT (106.7 Rewind Radio/Victory+).
