The Red Deer Rebels delivered a commanding road performance Wednesday night, blanking the struggling Brandon Wheat Kings 4-0 at Assiniboine Credit Union Place in Western Hockey League action. Fresh off a flurry of trades just before the January 8 trade deadline that brought in a bunch of new faces—including the likes of Kalder Varga, Cameron Kuzma, Cole Temple, and others—the revamped Rebels have been exciting to watch over the past two games, with the newcomers already making an impact alongside contributions across the lineup. Goals came from Matus Lisy, Ty Coupland with a standout highlight-reel marker, red-hot newcomer Kalder Varga, and captain Talon Brigley, while rookie netminder Peyton Shore—playing in his home province of Manitoba—turned aside all 35 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season and second of his WHL career. The Rebels outshot the hosts 42-35 in a complete team effort that marked their second consecutive victory, following a 5-3 home win over Seattle last Saturday—their third such streak this season. The two points lifted Red Deer to 12-20-2-2 on the year, pushing them past the Regina Pats into eighth place in the Eastern Conference and just four points back of seventh-place Moose Jaw, while the slumping Wheat Kings dropped their third straight.
Matus Lisy made it a 1-0 game for the Rebels at 7:55 of the first period with the assist on the goal going to fellow import Matej Mikes.–Matej Mikes secured the draw cleanly back to Matus Lisy, and the Slovak defenseman wasted no time ripping a wrist shot from the point that snuck through traffic and slipped past Brandon Wheat Kings netminder Jayden Kraus—Lisy’s third goal of the year.
Shots on goal in the first period were 15-14 for the Rebels
Ty Coupland scores a highlight reel goal to put the Rebels up 2-0 made a great defenceman Pantelas look like a Pylon at 14:26 of the second period. The assists on the goal went to 17 year old former Seattle Thunderbird newly acquired Cameron Kuzma.–In the second period, Ty Coupland brought some serious style, taking a sharp breakout pass from newcomer Cameron Kuzma, weaving through the Brandon defense with slick moves, and burying a filthy backhander that went straight to the highlight package.
Shots on goal in the second period were 14-6 for the Rebels
Kalder Varga makes it a 3-0 game for the Rebels at 11:22 of the third period. The helpers on the goal went to newly acquired Cole Temple and Matus Lisy.–In the third period, the Rebels iced it with a slick two-on-one rush from newcomers Cole Temple and Kalder Varga. Temple ripped the original shot, and Varga was right there to bang home the juicy rebound—his second goal in as many games.
Talon Brigley scored at 15:42 of the third period to make it a 4-0 game. The assists on the goal went to Cameron Kuzma and Poul Anderson.–Rebels captain Talon Brigley tried to drop the puck back to Kuzma, but the puck bounced right back to him for his 13th of the season, sealing the win.
Shots on goal in the third period were 15-13 for the Wheat Kings. The Rebels outshot the Wheat Kings in the game though 42 to 35.
Peyton Shore stopped all 35 shots that he faced for the win and the shutout. For the Wheat Kings Jayden Kraus stopped 38 of the 42 shots that he faced.
Three Stars of the game were 1) Peyton Shore 2) Matus Lisy 3) Jayden Kraus
Attendance in Brandon was 3060
Rebels next game is Friday January 9th in Regina against the Pats
A few days back, on January 5th, the Red Deer Rebels shipped out 17-year-old forward Noah Milford to the Penticton Vees in the BCHL for a fifth-round pick in the 2028 WHL draft. The kid from Okotoks had put up four goals and six assists in 28 games this season with Red Deer, but with the team in full rebuild mode after a rough start—owner Brent Sutter’s been pretty open about needing a big shake-up—they decided to move him as part of clearing out some roster spots ahead of the WHL deadline. It’s a future-focused deal for the Rebels, stocking up on picks while Milford gets a shot to develop down in Penticton.