The Red Deer Rebels put a solid team effort together Friday night at the Marchant Crane Centrium and walked away with a 5-2 win over the Calgary Hitmen. After falling behind early, captain Beckett Hamilton got things rolling with a slick shorthanded marker in the second, then the boys poured it on in the third. It was a nice bounce-back against the Hitmen after that tough matinee loss in Calgary a couple weeks back (the 7-3 setback on the 17th). Getting the better of them this time felt good, especially with the rivalry heating up, and the crowd of 3,319 was into it the whole way.
The win bumps the Rebels to 9-4-1-1 and 20 points, stretching their lead to four points over Calgary at the top of the Central Division. They’re 2-1-0-1 against the Hitmen this season now and even grabbed the in-season Cup back. Coach Kisio liked the work rate and urgency even if it wasn’t perfect, and that’s the kind of game that builds confidence heading into the next stretch.
Grady Anaka makes it a 1-0 Hitmen game on the Power Play at 11:59 of the first period. The assists on the goal went to Carter Sanderson and Calder Hamilton.
Shots on goal in the first period were 11-9 for the Rebels
Beckett Hamilton ties the game up on a shorthanded breakaway at 10:50 of the second period. The assist on the goal went to Jake Missura.–Red Deer Rebels captain Beckett Hamilton completely swung the momentum by jumping on a loose puck to race in all alone on a shorthanded breakaway. He then executed a beautiful deke to his backhand, freezing Calgary goaltender Aidan Hesse and sliding the puck home to tie the game.
Shots on goal in the second period were 10-7 for the Hitmen.
Poul Andersen makes it a 2-1 game at 0:58 of the third period. The assists on the goal went to Paxson Madill and Matus Lisy.–Just 58 seconds into the third period, forward Poul Andersen gave the Red Deer Rebels their first lead of the night by positioning himself perfectly in front of the net. He neatly redirected a point shot from defenceman Matus Lisy past the Calgary goaltender for his league-leading 25th point of the season.
Jiri Kamas gives the Rebels a 3-1 lead at 5:06 of the third period with his third goal of the season. The helpers on the goal went to Cameron Kuzma and Matus Lisy.–Fewer than five minutes later, defenceman Jiri Kamas extended the Red Deer Rebels’ cushion with a spectacular goal on an offensive rush Following some tremendous playmaking, Kamas took a crisp drop pass from Cameron Kuzma and hammered a powerful one-timer past Calgary goaltender Aidan Hesse.
Kalder Varga gives the homeside a big 4-1 lead at 10:29 of the third period. The assists on the goal went to Beckett Hamilton and Matus Lisy.–Near the midway point of the final frame, forward Kalder Varga extended the Red Deer Rebels’ advantage to a commanding three goals. Showing excellent tracking and determination in front of the net, Varga quickly pounced on a rebound off a shot from Beckett Hamilton and slammed it home.
Blake Vanek scores for the Hitmen to get them within 2 goals for a 4-2 game at 13:16 of the third period while on the Power Play. The assists on the goal went to Brennan Brown and University of Minnesota commit Bode Laylin.
Cole Temple scores into the empty net at 18:59 of the third period to make it a 5-2 game. The assists on the goal went to Beckett Hamilton and Zeb Lindgren.
Shots on goal in the third period were 11-9 for the Rebels. The Rebels outshot the Hitmen 29-28 in the game.
Matthew Kondro stopped 26 of the 28 shots that he faced for the win for the Rebels. For the Hitmen St. Paul, Minnesota native Aidan Hesse made 24 saves on the 28 shots that he faced.
Three Stars of the game were 1) Matthew Kondro 2) Beckett Hamilton 3) Artem Katsuro
Attendance in Red Deer was 3319
Rebels next game is Sunday November 1st in Edmonton against the Oil Kings
