Rebels Look to Get off to Strong Start Following Christmas Break
December 27, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Red Deer Rebels News Release
The Western Hockey League is a dog-eat-dog world, particularly during the dog days of winter.
And those days are just around the corner.
The Red Deer Rebels, after a two-week break, kick off the post-Christmas portion of their schedule Friday against the visiting Vancouver Giants, and getting out of the gate with no delays will be of the utmost importance in helping set up the second half of the season.
"It's certainly been a long break, the longest (Christmas) break we've ever had," Rebels GM/head coach Brent Sutter said Thursday.
"You have to get back into the thick of things right away, get your focus where it needs to be."
A quick glance at the Central Division standings gives a stark reminder that there's no time to waste. The Rebels head into the second half of the season tied with Lethbridge and Edmonton for top spot in the division, albeit with a game in hand on the Hurricanes and four games on the Oil Kings.
Medicine Hat, meanwhile, is just five points off the pace and fifth place Calgary sits eight points back. The Kootenay Ice is the lone team in the Central out of the playoff hunt.
"Look at our division, it's a tight division," said Sutter. "There are eight points separating teams from first to being out of the playoffs with the current playoff format."
As a result . . .
"You have to make sure you don't go into any slides, you can't have down times," said Sutter. "We have to make sure we're playing well right from the get-go."
A strong showing during the remainder of the Rebels' December schedule, which includes a home game Saturday versus the Oil Kings and a Sunday visit to Edmonton, would go a long way in building confidence for the January to March regular-season run.
"The second half of the year is a tough time of the year, it's the toughest time of the whole season," said Sutter. "The games get harder, get tighter . . . you have to win those one-goal games.
"Things you stress in the first half of the year become reality in the second half. Your second half is really what you work towards in the first half so you can be in situations where you can be above the line in games . . . whether it's your systems, your compete level, your discipline or your specialty teams."
A special teams boost would certainly give the Rebels a better chance of at least hanging around the Central Division penthouse. Red Deer's power play and penalty kill numbers are both in the bottom half of the league, operating at respective rates of 22.1 (14th overall) and 75.2 per cent (15th).
At the very least, the coaching staff will be looking for more consistency from both special teams.
"They've been erratic. We've had spurts where our power play has been really good and then hasn't been good," said Sutter. "Penalty killing, same thing. It can be good, then it drops off.
"The league is really tight in percentages, but you have to be consistently above the line where your power play is producing at 21 to 24 per cent. And your penalty kill has to be in that mid-80s range.
"Maybe it comes down to using some guys differently too. Maybe we as coaches have to look at things a little differently. The guys who play a lot five-on-five, you have to be careful how much you use them on specialty teams. You can put other guys in those areas where they just focus in on that."
Scouting Report
Rebels vs. Vancouver Giants
Friday, 7 p.m., Centrium
Vancouver enters the post-Christmas portion of its schedule with a 22-8-2-0 record and holds down first place in the B.C. Division and second spot in the Western Conference . . . The Giants are 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games and are led offensively by RW Davis Koch, who has produced nine goals and 31 points. C Milos Roman, currently with Slovakia at the World Junior Championship, has a team-leading 16 goals and 29 points, while D Bowen Byram (7-18-27), LW Brayden Watts (7-15-22) and D Dylan Plouffe (4-15-19) round out the team's top five scorers. The Giants have another four players in double figures for points, including former Rebels RW Jared Dmytriw (7-11-18) . . . Trent Miner is third among WHL goaltenders with a 1.88 goals-against average and is second in the save percentage category at .934. Miner possesses a win-loss record of 10-2-1-0 while crease mate David Tendeck is 12-6-1-0 with a GAA of 2.27 and a .912 save percentage . . . Roman (Calgary, fourth round), Tendeck (Arizona, sixth round) and D Alex Kannok Leipert (Washington, sixth round) were selected in the 2018 NHL entry draft. Bowen is safely projected as a first-round pick in 2019.
Injuries - Vancouver: D Baily Dhaliwal (upper body, two weeks), D Matt Barberis (undisclosed, two weeks). Red Deer - LW Dallon Melin (upper body, day-to-day).
Special teams - Vancouver: Power play 22.7 per cent, 12th overall; penalty kill 87 per cent, second. Red Deer: Power play 22.1 per cent, 14th overall; penalty kill 75.2 per cent, 15th.
Western Hockey League Stories from December 27, 2018
- Raiders Open Second Half With OT Win In Saskatoon - Prince Albert Raiders
- Alkhimov Leads Pats over Wheat Kings - Regina Pats
- Rebels Look to Get off to Strong Start Following Christmas Break - Red Deer Rebels
- Blazers Add Three Prospects to Roster - Kamloops Blazers
- Rockets return from holiday break to face Blazers - Kelowna Rockets
- Goalie Campbell Arnold Added to Chiefs Roster - Spokane Chiefs
- Silvertips Recall Defenseman Olen Zellweger from OHA Edmonton Prep - Everett Silvertips
- ICE Recall '02-Born Forward Owen Pederson for the Remainder of the Season - Kootenay Ice
- Preview: Rivalry Resumes as Raiders Return to Blade City - Saskatoon Blades
- Wheat Kings Host the Pats Tonight - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Game Day Preview: Pats Return from Xmas Break to Visit Wheat Kings - Regina Pats
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