The Red Deer Rebels snapped back into the win column with a gritty 4-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday night at the Marchant Crane Centrium. After Aleksey Chichkin opened the scoring in the first period, the Rebels surged in the second with goals from Kalder Varga and Owen DeWitt to pull away, before Talon Brigley sealed it with an empty-netter in the third.Both teams failed to capitalize on the power play—Red Deer went 0-for-4, while Swift Current was 0-for-5—and the Rebels completed a season-series sweep of the Broncos. The win earned Red Deer two crucial points, pushing their record to 22-32-2-2 for 48 points and vaulting them back into eighth place in the WHL Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Moose Jaw Warriors while trailing the seventh-place Regina Pats by five. With only 10 games left in the regular season, the Rebels face a tough fight to secure a playoff spot.
Former Portland Winterhawk and Swift Current native Hudson Darby gets the Broncos on the board first at 10:29 of the first period with the assists on the goal going to Trae Wilke and Richmond, BC native Nathan Gray.
Aleksey Chickin scores his 3rd goal unassisted to tie the game at 18:48 of the first period.–With just over a minute left in the first, Aleksey Chichkin scooped the puck off the boards and fired it on net, ricocheting off a Bronco defender and into Archer Cooke’s net.
Shots on goal in the first period were 10-7 for the Broncos
Former Red Deer Rebel Trae Wilke gave the Broncos a 2-1 lead at 10:03 of the second period while short handed. The assist on the goal went to 20 year old Swift Current native Anthony Wilson.–In the second period, the Broncos retook the lead with a shorthanded marker from former Red Deer Rebel Trae Wilke, who beat the goalie in the slot.
Kalder Varga tied the game back up for the Rebels at 11:03 of the second period with his 15th goal of the season. The assists on the goal went to Patrick Sopiarz and Tyson Yaremko.–Kalder Varga found the equalizer on a rebound attempt from the left side of the net.
Owen DeWitt gave the Rebels the lead at 17:55 of the second period. The helpers on the goal went to Aleksey Chichkin and Matej Mikes.
Shots on goal in the second period were 17-4 for the Rebels
Talon Brigley fires one into the empty net to make it a 4-3 game at 18:47 of the third period with the assist on the goal going to Matej Mikes.
Shots on goal in the third period were 9-7 for the Rebels. The Rebels outshot the Broncos 33-21 in the game.
Matthew Kondro stopped 19 of the 21 shots that he faced for the win for the Rebels. For the Broncos Archer Cooke stopped 29 of the 32 shots that he faced.
Three Stars of the game were 1) Kalder Varga 2) Matej Mikes 3) Trae Wilke
Attendance in Red Deer was 3400
Rebels next game is Tuesday March 3rd in Prince Albert against the Raiders.
