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WHL Red Deer Rebels

High-Flying Trio Leads Rebels to First Win of the Season

September 29, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Red Deer Rebels News Release


The Red Deer Rebels' top line is starting to mesh and as a result the threesome found the mesh in a 4-3 WHL win over the Calgary Hitmen Friday at the Centrium.

Brandon Hagel scored once and added two assists, Jeff de Wit contributed a goal and an assist and Oleg Zaytsev picked up a pair of helpers, sending most of the 4,013 fans home in a jovial mood as the Rebels posted their first victory of the season following a pair of losses the previous weekend.

Hagel said there's a special bond between all three players.

"It's really good. Oleg doesn't speak much English but we're really good friends off the ice," he said. "And Jeff de Wit is one of my best buddies as well, so that's really going to help when a line can be best friends on and off the ice."

Zach Huber, from the low slot, gave the Hitmen an early lead when he beat netminder Ethan Anders to the short side, but defenceman Jacob Herauf pulled the Rebels even four minutes alter when his wrister from just inside the blueline found its way past Hitmen stopper Carl Stankowski.

"Our start was maybe a bit slow, but when the second period came around I thought everyone was going and that's what we needed," said Hagel.

With the Rebels on the power play, Alex Alexeyev moved down from the point and one-timed a perfect feed from Hagel past Stankowski just past the midway point of the middle frame.

Defenceman Layne Toder responded for the visitors with 1:36 remaining in the period, his sharp-angle shot from the left boards beating a screened Anders, but de Wit restored Red Deer's lead a mere 27 seconds later, skating down the right wing and placing a low wrist shot to the far corner of the net, on Stankowski's blocker side.

Hagel potted his first of the season in the opening minute of the final frame - following a turnover in the Calgary zone and a nifty feed from Alex Morozoff - and Hunter Campbell scored at 6:49 to pull the Hitmen to within a single goal.

The Hitmen carried the play down the stretch, partly due to back-to-back slashing penalties to de Wit and Zaytsev, but the Rebels' penalty killers were equal to the task.

"We certainly made it interesting. They (Hitmen) made a push in the third especially the last 10 minutes after they got their third goal," said Rebels GM/head coach Brent Sutter.

"Down the stretch those two penalty kills were good for us. You can say one call was questionable and the other was 200 feet from our net, a penalty you can't take.

"But we did a good job of killing them off and we got a power play goal, so our specialty teams were good tonight."

"Everyone just stuck to the systems and when you're doing that it's going to work. If we can just do that all is good," added Hagel in reference to the Rebels' effective penalty kill.

The Red Deer rearguards, pretty much to a man, played a heads-up, in control style and limited the Hitmen to four shots in the first period and 11 in the second before the visitors outshot their hosts 18-7 over the final 20 minutes.

"I thought our defence was good tonight for the most part. They played well and Andy made some big saves too," said Sutter.

Anders racked up 30 saves, including key stops on Josh Prokop in the second period and Dom Schmiemann in the third, while Stankowski, who foiled Morozoff from in close and denied Reese Johnson on a breakaway, finished with 24 stops.

"I liked a lot of things we did," said Sutter. "After the first period some of our younger guys got playing better. Some of them were trying to do too much in the first period, trying to play a skill type game, stuff they can get away with at lower levels but can't at this level.

"That group really helped us in the second and third periods because at the end of the day you can't continue to play five to six forwards."

Hagel said he's been impressed with the performance of the team's lesser experienced skaters.

"Obviously, it's going to take them a bit of time, but that's on the older guys too," he said. "We have to step up in the dressing room and with our leadership that's going to bring them up quicker.

"Overall I think our young guys are doing really well with the way they're playing."

Hagel was selected as the game's first star, with Alexeyev and Calgary's Egor Zamula picked second and third.

"Hages is solid every night for us," said Sutter. "The first three games he's been a really solid player and he gets lot of ice. That line overall was really good tonight."

The Rebels take on the Swift Current Broncos - who managed just 15 shots in a 5-0 loss to the host Edmonton Oil Kings Friday - Saturday night at the Centrium and are in Calgary Sunday afternoon for a rematch with the Hitmen.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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