Rebels fall to first-place Oil Kings in Edmonton

EDMONTON – The Red Deer Rebels ventured north on the QEII for a mid-week battle with the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Rebels were stride for stride with the first-place Oil Kings through the first half of the game but faltered in the second half as the Oil Kings pulled away for a 7-3 win.

The Rebels now shift their focus to three games out east starting Friday night in Regina.

Stats Story

Joe Iginla (EDM) – 2 goals

Max Curran (EDM) – 1 goal, 2 assists

Jensen Marsh (EDM) – 1 goal, 1 assist

Beckett Hamilton (RD) – 1 goal, 1 assist

How it Happened

Edmonton opened the scoring just 2:36 into the first period, when Oil King affiliate player Jensen Marsh threw a puck towards the net from the boards, which took a weird bounce and into the Rebels’ net for Marsh’s first WHL goal.

Beckett Hamilton tied it up for the Rebels just 2:26 later, as he had some space on the right wing, snapping it over the shoulder of Oil Kings goaltender Ethan Simcoe for his fifth goal of the campaign.

The Oil Kings took the lead back as Poul Andersen snapped a shot from the top of the slot, and then followed up on his own rebound after a scramble in front of the Rebels’ netminder Matthew Kondro.

Red Deer tied it up once again, this time it was Samuel Drancak who found the rebound from an Aleksey Chichkin point shot, making it 2-2 nearly five minutes into the second period, for his third goal in as many games.

Edmonton retook the lead for the third time, courtesy of Ethan Mackenzie, who found some open ice in the high slot, and was able to snap the puck past Kondro to make it 3-2 with 6:43 to play in the second period.

The first two-goal lead for the Oil Kings came from the stick of Max Curran, who stole the puck at the Rebels blue line and beat Kondro to make it a 4-2 lead for Edmonton with three minutes to go in the second.

Joe Iginla’s eighth goal of the season made it a 5-2 Oil Kings lead, after his cross-ice pass took a bounce off a Rebels defenceman and into the net. That power play goal at the 18:23 mark of the second.

Talon Brigley provided an early spark for the Rebels in the third period, as he tipped home a shot from Beckett Hamilton on the power play to make it a 5-3 game less than four minutes into the third period.

Iginla would regain the three-goal lead for Edmonton six minutes later, however. He took a nice pass from Lucas Sawchyn, and beat Kondro to the glove side.

Two minutes later Andrew O’Neill made it 7-3 when his shot from the slot trickled through Matthew Kondro.

The Rebels power play was 1/3, while Edmonton went 1/4 with their man advantage. Matthew Kondro made 30 saves for Red Deer, while Ethan Simcoe made 24 for the Oil Kings.

Brandt Three Stars

1. Ethan Mackenzie (EDM)
2. Joe Iginla (EDM)
3. Jensen Marsh (EDM)

Notes

Rebels centre Matthew Gard served game one of a five-game suspension for a checking to the head major + game misconduct he was assessed Saturday versus Swift Current … winger Jaxon Fuder received a game misconduct at the end of the first period for a staged fight … scratches for the game were defenceman Nikolas Ferry and forward Noah Milford … Brigley played his 279th regular season game tying former teammate Jace Weir for 7th most in team history … Drancak played in his 150th regular season game.

Next up

The Rebels continue their annual November road trip as they head to Saskatchewan. They’ll battle the Regina Pats on Friday at 6 p.m. MT on 106.7 Rewind Radio and Victory+.

(Xander Holcomb)