Rebels return to form to knock off Hurricanes
Rebels 3 Hurricanes 1
That’s more like it.
Just 24 hours after getting shelled by the visiting Prince Albert Raiders, the Red Deer Rebels turned in a much superior effort Saturday in a 3-1 WHL victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes in front of 3,510 fans at the Peavey Mart Centrium.
The penalty kill was top notch and the goaltending was stellar, with the Rebels not allowing a goal during seven ‘Canes power plays and Kyle Kelsey turning aside 33 shots.
“I think we got back to the basics and our penalty kill was unbelievable,” said Rebels head coach Derrick Walser. “It (penalty kill) took it on the chin last night. We wanted to address getting in the lanes and being more aggressive.”
The evening didn’t start on a promising note for the Rebels as they were forced to erase six minutes in penalties before the midway point of the opening period.
“We started the game off with those minors and I thought, oh god, here we go again,” said Walser. “I’m so proud of them, I’m proud of Egs (defensive/special teams coach Mike Egener). He did an unbelievable job of digging in his heels and getting the guys to buy in.”
The visitors led 1-0 after one period on a goal by Brayden Edwards, who tipped a point shot past Kelsey.
The Rebels pulled even early in the second period when Ollie Josephson cut down the right side and cashed a rebound from a sharp angle, slipping the puck through the pads of goaltender Harrison Meneghin.
Just under two minutes later, Talon Brigley scored on a redirect of an Elias Carmichael point shot for a lead the Rebels never relinquished.
Walser had no problem expressing his appreciation of his players’ overall performance, including their willingness to block shots, something they didn’t do Friday.
“My wife was talking to me today, trying to calm me down,” he said. ‘What are you like on the bench’, I said I’m pretty quiet. ‘When have you ever been quite talking about hockey?’
“I was vocal on the bench tonight, giving the guys lots of praise and stuff to correct and they took it well and battled through it.”
As for the blocked shots . . .
“It brings energy, it brings life on the bench and shows the unity of the team,” said the coach. “Maybe I let things slide a bit but we’re not going to let it slide now.
“That’s the foundation, now we’re going to get back to it . . . work hard this week and make sure we’re ready to compete next weekend.”
The Rebels finally got an insurance goal at 17:15 of the third period when Frantisek Formanek deposited a loose puck after Kai Uchacz was stopped on a breakaway.
Kelsey, meanwhile, made a highlight reel save on Logan Wormald with the Rebels up a goal in the second period. The Rebels’ stopper got his stick on Wormald’s offering while flat on his back.
“It was kind of a weird one. A shot was going blocker side and kind of got tipped by my glove, so a little desperation when I fell on my butt,” he said. “Not how I’d like to make that save but whatever I have to do to keep the puck out of the net. I just stayed calm and tracked the puck all the way and made sure I got my paddle down.
“I thought the boys played really good. I just tried to do my job the best that I can and the boys really helped me out.”
You're going to want to watch replay of this save…all we can say is WOW!!! 😯 pic.twitter.com/jbDU1p3x3L
— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) October 8, 2023
Walser said he had a message for his team prior to the game, Kelsey included.
“I gave the guys a little pep talk . . . just be confident, be you,” he said.
Kelsey confirmed that the Rebels locker room was more upbeat following the game than was the case the night before.
“Give the boys all the credit,” he insisted. “It’s hard to reset after the way we played last night but I think we stuck to our systems and we played really solid.”
Next up for the Rebels is an engagement with the Pats next Friday in Regina.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said Kelsey. “We already got one (win) on the road (4-3 Sept. 23 in Edmonton) and hopefully we get another one.”
Notable: The Rebels’ penalty killers were at their best in the final minute of the game when they were assessed back to back minors and faced a six-on-three in the final 36 seconds with Meneghin on the Lethbridge bench . . . The Hurricanes netminder made 26 saves . . . The three stars: (1) Brigley, (2) Josephson, who had an assist to go with his goal, and (3) Edwards . . . The Rebels improved to 2-3-0-0. The Hurricanes are now 4-2-0-0 . . . Red Deer’s next four games are on the road. Following Friday’s visit to Regina, the Rebels will face the Oil Kings two days later and then visit the provincial capital again Oct. 17. Red Deer will face the Hurricanes in Lethbridge Oct. 20 before welcoming the Saskatoon Blades to the Centrium the following night.
(Game photos: Madison Fox)
