Rebels score early and often in 4-2 win in Saskatoon
RED DEER – It didn’t take the Rebels long to right the ship after a disappointing start to their Saskatchewan road trip earlier this week, riding a hot start to a 4-2 win over the Blades in Saskatoon on Friday.
The Rebels clearly came into the game with a chip on their shoulders after their 4-1 loss in Prince Albert two days earlier, putting the pressure on the Blades right off the opening draw.
In just his fourth game of the season, Saskatoon native Beckett Hamilton fired home his fifth goal of the young campaign just under three minutes into the game to give his team an early 1-0 lead.
With the dust barely settled, Poul Anderson made it 2-0 just 36 seconds later, extending his season-opening point streak to six games.
Anderson wasn’t done there, he added his second less than three minutes later, re-directing a beautiful pass from Hamilton past Blades netminder Martin Psohlavec to put the Rebels up 3-0 just over six minutes into the contest.
Poul Andersen double dips! 🤯@Rebelshockey pic.twitter.com/CMnVe6BG7K
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) October 3, 2026
The Rebels kept their foot on the gas, and extended their lead to 4-0 after Cameron Kuzma scored his second goal in as many games midway through the second period.
Cameron Kuzma picks up the scraps and buries it, extending the @Rebelshockey lead to 4! pic.twitter.com/bij5YzDnr0
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) October 3, 2026
Saskatoon finally found an answer about five minutes later, as Blades rookie Yegor Gusev’s first Western Hockey League goal put Saskatoon on the board.
The Blades continued to find another gear, with Brayden Klimpke scoring his fourth goal of the season late in the second to pull his team within two, but that was as close as they would get.
Rebels goalie Matthew Kondro shut the door the rest of the way, making 10 of his 27 saves in the final frame to seal the victory – despite Red Deer only registering two shots in the third period. Psohlavec finished with 23 saves on 27 shots in a losing cause for Saskatoon.
With the win, the Rebels sit atop the Eastern Conference – and the entire league – heading into Saturday’s action, with seven points through six games.
BRANDT THREE STARS:
- Beckett Hamilton (RD)
- Poul Anderson (RD)
- Brayden Klimpke (SASK)
NOTES: Poul Anderson extended his league-leading point streak to six games to start the season, with three goals and six assists in that span … Beckett Hamilton’s three point game has him right on Anderson’s heels with eight points in just four games, and tied for the league lead with five goals … Grayden Peterson and Nolan Schmidt both earned their first points of the season with one assist each in the game … Rebels scratches for the game included Noah Chadi, Luke Jamieson, Paxson Madill and Kaden Meyer, with blueliner Cameron Dillard making his season debut … Attendance at SaskTel Centre was 8414.
NEXT UP: The Rebels made a quick exit from Saskatoon and hit the road for Moose Jaw right after Friday’s game, and will wrap up their three-game Saskatchewan road trip against the Warriors on Saturday, October 3 at 6pm. (106.7 REWIND/YouTube)
