Sports stats



WHL Red Deer Rebels

Rebels Lacking in Intensity in Shutout Loss to Warriors

December 4, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Red Deer Rebels News Release


Red Deer Rebels fans waited and waited, then waited some more for the hometown team to score.

The goal never came as the Rebels fell 4-0 to the Moose Jaw Warriors in the club's Toque and Teddy Bear Toss game in front of 3,182 patient spectators Friday at the Peavey Mart Centrium.

Instead of littering the ice with the cuddly toys and winter wear following the Rebels' first goal, as was planned, the fans tossed their goods when Red Deer defenceman Trey Patterson flipped the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty with just under two minutes remaining.

While the Rebels held a 30-25 advantage in shots, head coach Steve Konowalchuk wasn't impressed with his team's overall effort.

"It wasn't a fun game to be on the bench and be a part of. I thought it was just too inconsistent right from the start and all the way through," he said.

"That's what it boiled down to. From the structure to the compete level, it was too inconsistent from player to player. We've got to have every guy going every shift throughout the 60 minutes.

"That's not the identity we want to play to. We have to get back at it."

Konowalchuk pulled netminder Chase Coward with four minutes left, but all it resulted in was an empty-net tally from Warriors captain Daemon Hunt, his second goal of the game.

The Rebels had their chances to allow the fans to toss their donations to the Red Deer Christmas Bureau, but Warriors rookie netminder Jackson Unger had all the answers while posting his first ever WHL shutout.

While he saw the majority of the shots aimed his way - and a good portion hit him in the crest - Unger did come up with some dandy saves, his best being a sliding pad stop on Jayden Grubbe during a second-period Rebels power play.

But the Rebels didn't play with the intensity they've shown on most nights, and it cost them in the end.

Jagger Firkus also scored twice for the visitors, his first - and eventual winner - beating Coward top shelf from the right circle in the opening period. He connected on a similar play in the second period with the Warriors enjoying a man advantage.

Hunt made it 3-0 early in the final frame when Cade Hayes won a corner battle and fed the puck into the left circle to the Warriors captain, who ripped a one-timer past Coward. Hunt then capped the win with the late empty-netter.

The Rebels were guilty of multiple turnovers in the contest, with a good portion of the giveaways occurring in the final period with the players pressing for a goal.

"It was throughout the game," said Konowalchuk. "We didn't play to our identity whether it was with the puck or with physical play or even the structure without the puck.

"It got away from us and we have to get back to the way we have a chance to be successful."

While the setback was frustrating, the Rebels might have suffered a bigger loss when No. 1 defenceman Christoffer Sedoff was helped off the ice in the second period following a collision along the boards and never returned.

He suffered what appears to be a lower body injury and might not be available for Sunday's 4 p.m. contest with the visiting Calgary Hitmen.

Notable: Coward finished with 21 saves . . . The Warrors were one-for-six on the power play, the Rebels zero-for-three . . . The three stars: (1) Unger, (2) Hunt and (3) Firkus . . . Arshdeep Bains was honoured prior to the game as the Mitchell and Jewell Rebels player of the month for November.

Check out the Red Deer Rebels Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Western Hockey League message board...

Western Hockey League Stories from December 4, 2021


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.

Other Recent Red Deer Rebels Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central