The Rebels last win from last season is the same team they get their first win off of this season. That team was the Medicine Hat Tigers. That team is also suppose to be the best team in the whole CHL. I don’t think that team showed up last night. The Rebels looked like they were playing a rec team last night. McKenna seemed to of taken the night off. Basha and Weisblatt were not their usual selves. I had no idea the Ruck twins were even playing in the game.
To put it nicely the Tigers keep playing that way they will be contenders for the first pick in the 2025 WHL Bantam draft. Or maybe the Rebels are just that good and made them play that way. The Rebels looked fantastic on the other hand.
Rookie and Humboldt, Saskatchewan native Beckett Hamilton scored his first Western Hockey League goal on a rebound at 3:14 of the first period. The assists on the goal went to Matthew Gard and Carson Birnie.
Hunter Mayo blasted a beautiful shot from the point to make it a 2-0 game at 12:30 of the first period. Assists on the goal went to Luke Vlooswyk and Trae Wilkie. Mayo attended the Winnipeg Jets development camp recently.
Shots on goal in the first period were 11-4 for the Rebels. The Tigers managed 4 shots in that period. So the team that is projected to be the Power House of the whole Canadian Hockey League managed to get 4 shots in a whole period.
Finland native Niilopekka Muhonen, the Tigers 47th overall pick in the CHL Import draft last summer scored his first Western Hockey League goal at 2:49 of the second period. The goal was unassisted. How do you even say this guys name. Knee-Low-Peck-Uh?
Matthew Gard made it a 3-1 game at 5:51 of the second period with his first goal of the season. The assist on the goal went to Jhett Larson. Gard shot it almost immediately after Larson won the face off. It was very quick.
Tigers Defenceman and hometown guy Josh Van Mulligan got the Tigers second goal at 14:12 of the second frame sneaking one through traffic from the slot. The assists on the goal went to 2024 Calgary Flames second rounder Andrew Basha and the Finnish kid with the name that is hard to spell.
Shots on goal in the second period were tied at 12 each.
Jeremiah Roberts made it a 4-1 game when Jhett Larson caught him with a pass just out of the corner of his eye.
Shots on goal in the third period were tied at 6 each. The Rebels outshot the Tigers 29-22 in the game.
Chase Wutzke made 20 saves on the 22 shots that he faced for the win for the Rebels. For the Tigers Ethan McCallum made 25 saves on the 29 shots that he faced.
Three Stars of the game were 1) Jhett Larson 2) Andrew Basha 3) Hunter Mayo
Attendance in Red Deer was 3,844
Rebels next game is Saturday September 28th in Medicine Hat against the Tigers
The Red Deer Rebels have revealed their leadership team for the upcoming 2024-25 season, with 18-year-old Ollie Josephson being named the 28th captain in franchise history. Josephson, who was a fourth-round pick by the Seattle Kraken, had an impressive career year with 47 points in 68 games and an additional five points in nine post-season games. Joining Josephson in the leadership group are Hunter Mayo, Jhett Larson, and Kalan Lind, who all previously wore “A” for the organization last season.
