Rebels return from holiday break with home loss to Edmonton
By DANNY RODE
Red Deer Rebels head coach Dave Struch got directly to the point after watching his team’s performance Friday night.
“I thought this was probably the most disappointing game we’ve played this year,” he said following a 5-1 loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings before a season high 5,564 fans at the Peavey Mart Centrium Friday.
“I know this team has had our number, but coming back after Christmas all it took was some hard work, some leadership, some character, and we didn’t have that at all,” continued Struch.
STATS STORY
Kayden Stroeder (EDM) – 2 goals, 1 assist
Jaxon Fuder (RD) – 1 goal (power play)
Parker Alcos (EDM) – 2 assists
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams were tied 1-1 after a “low event” first period that saw Red Deer hold a 5-4 edge in shots.
Although both teams managed 16 shots on goal in the middle stanza the Oil Kings were the sharper and more determined team and struck for three goals.
The Rebels were then outshot 14-4 in the third period while Edmonton added one more to its goal tally.
“You learn as a kid to play hard all the time, how to play with heart, passion and emotion and we didn’t have any of that,” Struch lamented.
When asked about the third period, all he said was “no heart, no passion, no emotion.”
The Oil Kings opened the scoring just 52 seconds into the game when a defensive miscue at the Rebels blue line resulted in a two-on-one. Blake Fiddler kept the puck himself and ripped a shot off the post high to Red Deer netminder Chase Wutzke’s glove hand.
The Rebels did tie it up when Ollie Josephson, back from a seven-game stint on the injured list, made a nice play along the left boards and laid the puck onto Jaxon Fuder’s stick in the slot and his one-timer beat Oil Kings Alex Worthington for his eighth of the season.
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— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) December 28, 2024
Fifteen-year-old Kayden Stroeder, who was Edmonton’s top pick in this year’s WHL Prospects Draft, notched his first career marker at 8:24 on a gift when Wutzke went behind the net to play the puck but had it slip back in front of the open net.
Wutzke tried to keep the Rebels in the game by stopping Marshall Finnie on a breakaway just before Landon Hanson scored at 12:53 during a scramble on a delayed penalty.
Less than two minutes later, Stroeder, who was named the game’s first star, notched his second when he was left all alone at the side of the net.
Jack Toogood completed the scoring at 3:36 of the final frame when his had the puck direct in off what appeared to be his leg on a soft rebound.
The rest of the period saw a number of scrums as the Rebels showed their frustration.
THREE STARS
- Stroeder (EDM)
- Alcos (EDM)
- Hanson (EDM)
The Rebels and Oil Kings meet again Sunday at 4 p.m. in Edmonton (106.7 REWIND Radio, CHL TV).
Struch hopes his team will be ready.
“It starts tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a hard day,” he forewarned.
ICE CHIPS – The Rebels are the home for four games in a row beginning next Monday when they host Lethbridge,. They face Calgary Jan. 3, Regina Jan. 4 and Saskatoon Jan. 7 … Parker Alcos, who had two assists, was second star and Hanson third … Rebels were minus one of their leaders Friday in Kalan Lind, out with the flu … Kasper Pikkarainen (lower), Jhett Larson (upper), Dmitri Toporowski (scratch) and Jack Bousquet (scratch) were also out for Friday’s game … Samuel Drancak was also back from the injury list after missing three contests … The Rebels are now ninth in the WHL Eastern Conference, two points back of Prince Albert and Brandon … Worthington finished with 24 saves and Wutzke 29.