Rebels roll to 5-0 win over Hurricanes
RED DEER – The Red Deer Rebels responded in a dominant fashion on night two of a back-to-back weekend on home ice, shutting out the the Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-0 at the Marchant Crane Centrium.
Tyson Yaremko powered the offence with a three-point night, including two goals. Beckett Hamilton, Kalder Varga, and Matej Mikes added to the attack. Matthew Kondro earned his first WHL shutout.
After edging the Hurricanes 4-3 on Wednesday night in Lethbridge, the Rebels came away with wins in both meetings, and improved to 15-22-2-2 on the season.
The win vaulted Red Deer past the Regina Pats into eighth place in the Eastern Conference with the Pats visiting Red Deer on Tuesday.
STATS STORY:
Tyson Yaremko (RD) – 2 goals, 1 assist
Kalder Varga (RD) – 1 goal, 1 assist
Matthew Kondro (RD) – 14 saves, shutout win
HOW IT HAPPENED:
With minutes remaining in the first period, Beckett Hamilton pounced on a missed Lethbridge pass off a face-off in the Rebels zone and raced in alone on a shorthanded breakaway. Hamilton made no mistake, deking Hurricanes goaltender, Leif Oaten before sliding the puck into a wide-open net to ignite the Rebels.
THAT IS ONE PRETTY (SHORT-HANDED) GOAL BY BECKETT HAMILTON 😍@Rebelshockey | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/ZkCPjw9vL5
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) January 18, 2026
The momentum carried into the second as Kalder Varga and Tyson Yaremko connected for Red Deer’s second of the night. Varga sent a stretch pass off the boards that Yaremko corralled in stride before popping the puck home to double the lead.
Hockey IQ 💯
Kalder Varga and Tyson Yaremko combine for a smart play to gain a 2-0 lead!@Rebelshockey | #RDREBELS pic.twitter.com/JPlPucFCr0
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) January 18, 2026
The Rebels kept coming as Aleksey Chichkin stepped into a shot from the blue line and Varga, left unchecked at the top of the crease, stopped it and went forehand-backhand deke on Oaten for a 3-0 lead.
KALDER VARGA WITH AN UNREAL PLAY 🤯@Rebelshockey | #RDREBELS | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/ZfYJ44CyTj
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) January 18, 2026
Just 55 seconds into the third period, Yaremko struck again, this time tucking home Poul Andersen’s rebound.
Tyson Yaremko double dips on the night 👀🚨@Rebelshockey | #RDREBELS pic.twitter.com/xD6gmPIet0
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) January 18, 2026
Matej Mikes put an exclamation point on the night when Yaremko rang one off the crossbar creating a goalmouth scramble where Mikes was able to find the puck and send it home.
Kondro wasn’t busy but was flawless when called upon, turning aside all 14 shots he faced to earn his first WHL shutout. Oaten, meanwhile, saw a heavy workload, facing 44 Rebels shots before the final horn.
The Rebels were perfect on the penalty kill, shutting down all five Lethbridge powerplay opportunities, while Red Deer went 1-for-9 on the man advantage.
BRANDT THREE STARS:
Tyson Yaremko (RD)
Cameron Kuzma (RD)
Beckett Hamilton (RD)
WHAT THEY SAID:
Head Coach Marc Habscheid
Tyson Yaremko
NOTES:
Rebels scratches for the game were forwards Cole Temple (lower), Kohen Lodge (final game in a three-game suspension) and Talon Brigley (personal) … forward Nolan Schmidt was called up from the Whitecourt Wolverines as an affiliate player … The Rebels have now won five of six meetings with Lethbridge this season with two more to come in February and March.
NEXT UP:
The bid for a playoff spot continues on Tuesday, January 20, as the Rebels host the Regina Pats for a 7 p.m. puck drop at the Marchant Crane Centrium (TICKETS).
