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WHL Red Deer Rebels

Oil Kings Sweep Weekend Series with Short-Handed Rebels

March 22, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Red Deer Rebels News Release


EDMONTON - The Red Deer Rebels ventured into the provincial capital on Sunday minus the services of five regulars.

But despite the absence of the skill and experience provided by the missing players, the visitors laid it all on the line before coming up short in a WHL Central Division contest.

"Coming into the game the thought was just play the game the right way and we can give ourselves a chance," said Rebels GM/head coach Brent Sutter, following a 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings at the Downtown Community Arena.

"Our first and third periods were good but in the second period our forwards weren't as good as we need them to be and they need to be. On their fourth goal it was a bad line change by our forwards.

"We battled hard and played hard for the most part. Our second period was kind of the killer, just some detail mistakes that we made that to win games against good teams you can't make."

Kaid Oliver opened the scoring for the hosts 11:02 into the game following a two-on-one feed from Dylan Guenther, but Zak Smith replied for the Rebels just 13 seconds later following a turnover created by Jace Isley.

Scott Atkinson restored the Oil Kings' lead just under five minutes into the middle period with a backhand from in tight. However, Rebels veteran Josh Tarzwell responded seven minutes later, breaking down the right side, cutting around Oil Kings defender Keagan Slaney and tucking the puck past Edmonton netminder and Red Deer native Colby Knight.

The tie was short-lived as Tyler Horstmann scored from a scramble at 13:40 and Ethan Cap buried a drop pass from Guenther with 47 seconds left in the period.

Josh Williams added a third-period goal for the Oil Kings, a team that was built to compete for a league championship the last two years.

The Rebels showed well despite being swept in the three-game series, considering how many key performers were sidelined with the injury bug.

Due to injuries to Kyle Masters, Joel Sexsmith and Mason Ward, Red Deer's lineup featured only five defencemen, including 16-year-olds Jace Weir and Hunter Mayo.

The Rebels were also missing their top two centers in Ben King and Jayden Grubbe, the latter of whom is out for the season due to a knee injury.

"We had a lot of our best players out of the lineup with injuries," said Sutter. "But despite having just five defencemen and with some being so young, I thought they played well.

"Expect for one period, the second period tonight, we played pretty well this weekend against a very good team, a team with top-end players who have been good players for a few years now.

"We just have to stay with it and stay with it. We have to build off this weekend and have lots of stuff to work on over the next 12 days."

Knight, who posted a 2.68 goals-against average and .907 save percentage with a single shutout in three games with the Red Deer midget AAA Optimist Chiefs in the 2020-21 season, made 16 saves while earning his first WHL win. Ethan Anders made 31 stops at the other end.

The Rebels have a bye this coming weekend and will return to action in early April. In the meantime, practice sessions will focus on special teams.

"Our power play hasn't scored for us, they just haven't played well enough," said Sutter. "We just don't execute the way we need to.

"If we played as hard on our power play as we do five-on-five we'd be more productive."

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 22, 2021


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