Rebels much improved in tight loss to Wheat Kings
RED DEER – The Red Deer Rebels showed grit, holiday hustle and plenty of fight in every shift in a 2-1 setback to the Brandon Wheat Kings Tuesday night at the Marchant Crane Centrium.
Ty Coupland was the lone Rebel to unwrap some holiday magic on the scoresheet, while Matthew Kondro kept the festive cheer alive between the pipes with a standout performance.
Brandon won its seventh game in a row while Red Deer’s fifth-straight loss sees them skate into the holiday break with a 10-17-1-2 record.
Stats Story
Filip Ruzicka (BDN) – 26 saves, 1 assist, win
Matthew Kondro (RD) – 23 saves
Ty Coupland (RD) – 1 goal
How it Happened
Down two men midway through the first, the Rebels’ special teams were working overtime, keeping Brandon’s powerplay in check. Just when it looked like danger had passed, with only 0:01 left on the man-advantage, Brandon’s Joby Baumuller let loose a rocket of a one-timer past Matthew Kondro, giving the visitors an early lead.
With two minutes left in the opening frame, Ty Coupland delivered a backhand from the high slot past Filip Ruzicka to tie the game.
📞 Rebels with the ANSWER!
Ty Coupland ties things up late in the 1st for the @Rebelshockey! pic.twitter.com/27s76qNIf0
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) December 17, 2025
The second period brought chances on both ends, but Brandon managed to unwrap the next goal when Nigel Boehm fired a shot toward the net that found the blade of Jimmy Egan, redirecting it in and giving Brandon a 2-1 lead heading into the final frame.
Red Deer came out in the third pressing hard but were ultimately kept at bay despite Coupland coming close with two more scoring chances, including one that rang off the post and another that made it to the goal line before Ruzicka covered up. The Rebels also caught a bad break when a high stick on Nate Yellowaga went uncalled in the final minute as the Wheat Kings held on for the one-goal win.
The Rebels outshot the Wheat Kings 27-25 and were 0-for-4 on the power play while Brandon was 1-for-5.
Brandt Three Stars
1. Carter Klippenstein (BDN)
2. Matthew Kondro (RD)
3. Filip Ruzicka (BDN)
What They Said
Rebels head coach Marc Habscheid
Notes
Forward Patrick Sopiarz (’08, Edmonton) made his Rebels debut after being acquired in a trade on Monday from Prince George … Forward Chace Turchak (’10, Calgary) made his WHL debut after being called up as an affiliate player. Turchak was selected by the Rebels in round two, 30th overall in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft. He has 25 points in 20 games this season with Calgary Buffaloes U18 AAA … Jaxon Fuder (lower) and Kohen Lodge (upper) missed the game due to injury, each listed as week-to-week … forward Samuel Drancak (Czechia) and defenceman Matus Lisy (Slovakia) were away at World Juniors camps.
Next up
The Rebels are heading home for the holidays, returning to the Marchant Crane Centrium on Saturday, December 27 for a 6 p.m. puck drop against the Edmonton Oil Kings (TICKETS).
