Rebels steal Game 1 in double overtime
Medicine Hat, AB – Kalen Lind 1:15 into double overtime would complete a massive comeback for for the Red Deer Rebels as they take Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarter Final 5-4 over the Medicine Hat Tigers Friday night.
Oasiz Wiesblatt (Calgary, AB) would open the scoring on a re-direct point shot that Wiesblatt would bury at 6:17 to make it 1-0 Tigers from Hunter St. Martin (Edmonton, AB) & Jack Kachkowski (St. Albert, AB). Exactly a minute later, Andrew Basha (Calgary, AB) would tap in a gimmie as he gets his first of the post season from Cayden Lindstrom (Chetwynd, BC) and Tomas Mrsic (Surrey, BC) and the Tigers are up 2-0. Medicine Hat would kill-off a too many men on the ice penalty and then deal with a push from the Rebels, but starting goaltender Ethan McCallum (Brandon, MB) would stand tall making 13 saves in the period. With just 30 seconds left in the frame. Gavin McKenna (Whitehorse, YT) would break-in for his first of the playoffs and the Tigers would take a 3-0 lead to the second period.
Josh Van Mulligen (Medicine Hat, AB) would pick up where the Tigers left off in the first as he wires his first ever WHL Playoff goal at 2:04 as captain Tyler MacKenzie (Red Deer, AB) & Shane Smith (Cessford, AB) would draw assists on the Tigers fourth of the night. Red Deer would then get on the board as their captain Kai Uchacz would bat in the Rebels first goal of the playoffs to get them on the board and it’s a three goal Tiger lead. On a late power play, Red Deer would find some luck as a pass towards the crease goes off a Tigers skate as Carson Latimer would get his first of the playoffs cutting the Tiger lead to 4-2. Medicine Hat would take that lead to the third.
Despite the lead, the Tigers would see it dwindle slowly in the third as Mats Lindgren would get a shot through traffic and an opportune bounce would lead to just a one goal game at 7:29. With just under six minutes to go in regulation, Ollie Josephson on a keep-in at the point by the Rebels would draw things even at 14:10 to force the eventual overtime that would follow. Both teams locked down in the third just allowing six shots each in the final 20 minutes of play.
The first overtime would see plenty of shots by the Tigers but Chase Wutzke would stymie all eight shots seen while Ethan McCallum would come up big on a break-away chance on Carson Latimer moving it to double overtime.
It wouldn’t take long in the 2nd overtime as Lind would feast on an errant puck in the high slot beating McCallum putting the Rebels up 1-0 in the Eastern Conference Quarter Final.
Game Two goes Saturday night at Co-op Place. You can get your tickets HERE.