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WHL Red Deer Rebels

Penalties Hurt Rebels in Eventual Overtime Loss to Blades

January 4, 2020 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Red Deer Rebels News Release


The Red Deer Rebels were their own worst enemies Friday night at the Centrium.

The Rebels presented the Saskatoon Blades with six power plays and the visitors took advantage twice in a tight game that ended with a 4-3 WHL overtime win for the visitors in front of 4,073 fans.

The Rebels dominated the third period, outshooting their guests 12-2, but Blades captain Chase Wouters notched the winner at 3:35 of extra time, converting a two-on-one pass from Tristen Robins.

"We were kind of two different teams," said Rebels GM/head coach Brent Sutter. "I wasn't happy with our first half of the game, way too many minor penalties.

"We took six minor penalties in the first 25 minutes of the game and it takes you out of your flow and momentum. We had to play hard for the last 20 to get a point tonight. But that first half . . . you can't take that many penalties, and they were penalties that are avoidable."

On the overtime goal, Blades defenceman Scott Walford directed the puck up the ice to Robins and the 18-year-old flipped it over to Wouters for the winner.

"A bad break off the faceoff (in the Saskatoon end)," said Sutter. "We knew what they were going to do off the draw and both our centre iceman and our winger just didn't stay with their guys."

Arshdeep Bains notched his second goal of the evening early in the third period to draw the Rebels even at 3-3, converting a pass from Dawson Barteaux. The Red Deer captain carried the puck end to end and behind the Blades net before feeding it out front, where Bains beat netminder Nolan Maier on the blocker side.

But despite carrying the play nearly the entire period, the Rebels couldn't find another goal despite getting some excellent looks.

"I thought we took too many penalties, but we stayed in there and took it to overtime," said Bains. "We did fight for those last 20 minutes but it can't be a 20-minute game, we have to play the full 60. We had a good push in the third but when it comes down to it, we didn't win the game."

"Points are big for us now," said Sutter, whose team, coupled with Brandon's 1-0 win over Prince Albert, now trails the Wheat Kings by nine points - albeit with two games in hand - in the hunt for the final Eastern Conference wild-card playoff berth.

"We can't be beating ourselves and tonight we beat ourselves out of a point. But that's a good team, they played pretty well too."

Bains opened the scoring with his 12th of the season - a power-play tally - at 6:58 of the opening period, cashing a rebound after Christoffer Sedoff's point shot glanced off a Blades defender.

Walford evened the count five minutes later with Red Deer's Ben King serving a cross-checking penalty, his low wrist shot from the left point beating goaltender Byron Fancy through a crowd.

The Rebels regained the lead early in the second frame as Josh Tarzwell banked a shot off a Blades defenceman following a faceoff win by Jayden Grubbe. But the visitors pulled even with another power-play goal shortly after when defenceman Nolan Kneen moved in from the point and buried a shot from the high slot.

Kyle Crnkovic gave the Blades their first lead of the contest late in the period, beating Fancy high from a sharp angle down low.

Sutter said his club got away from their identity at times by attempting fancy plays.

"We were way too pretty with certain things. We were trying to feather passes, we were trying to do spin-o-ramas and back passes," he said. "We have to stay away from that, we have to make sure we play the right way, do it the right way.

"We're a team that when we start doing that, we have turnovers. There's a lot of good teams in this league and you just can't play that way. I thought as the game went on, in the last few minutes of the second and in the third, we were really good. We played the right way."

The Rebels host the Moose Jaw Warriors Saturday.

"We had a heck of a third period to get ourselves a point. We'll take the point and move on and get ready for tomorrow," said Sutter.

Notable: Maier made 30 saves while posting his 15th win of the season, while Fancy turned aside 22 shots . . . Forward Chris Douglas played his 200th WHL contest, all with the Rebels, and picked up an assist to extend his point streak to four games. He has a goal and three helpers during that span. Meanwhile, Tarzwell (4-0) and Grubbe (0-3) now have at least a point in three straight games . . . Prior to the game, defenceman Ethan Sakowich was honoured as the Mitchell and Jewell Rebels player of the month for December . . . Selected as the game's three stars were (1) Bains, (2) Walford and (3) Barteaux . . . Red Deer was one-for-three on the power play.

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Western Hockey League Stories from January 4, 2020


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