The Red Deer Rebels fell 5-2 to the Regina Pats on Friday night at the Brandt Centre, dropping a crucial Eastern Conference battle that saw Regina snap a five-game losing streak and leapfrog us into eighth place with 29 points. The Pats jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead after the first period on goals from Matt Paranych and Ruslan Karimov, then pushed it to 3-0 early in the second courtesy of Liam Pue. The Rebels bright spot came from Beckett Hamilton, who scored twice—first just 27 seconds after Pue’s marker to get us on the board, and again at 12:49 on a long-range shot—to pull within 4-2 heading into the third. Despite the effort, Regina’s Matt Paranych added his second of the night to restore the three-goal cushion, and Zach Moore sealed it with an empty-netter in the final second. Goaltender Peyton Shore took the loss in net, while Marek Schlenker earned the win for the Pats. Notably, several Rebels players—including forwards Cole Temple, Aleksey Chichkin, and Cameron Kuzma—are former Regina Pats, adding an extra layer to this matchup. With the result, the Rebels sit at 12-21-2-2, one point behind Regina for that final playoff spot. Scratches included defenceman Cameron Dillard and forwards Owen Shadrick and Tyson Yaremko, while captain Talon Brigley suited up for his 299th career game (just two shy of the franchise record), and Czech defenceman Jiri Kamas made his Rebels debut after arriving from Penticton. With the trade deadline passed, only 10 players remain from the opening-night roster—highlighting the major roster turnover as we push forward in this rebuilding season.
Regina opens up the scoring top corner with a nice snipe from former Medicine Hat Tiger Matt Paranych. The assists on the goal went to Keets Fawcett and Caden Brown at 10:39 of the first period.–Pats 1-0 —Paranych worked in on the left wing side and snapped a shot over the shoulder of Peyton Shore to open the scoring for the Blue Brigade.
Pats score again at 11:20 of the first period when former Sarnia Sting Ruslan Karimov gets his 9th goal of the year to make it a 2-0 game for the Pats. The assists on the goal went to Zachary Lansard and Whitewood, Saskatchewan Reese Hamilton.–Lansard stick-handled behind the net and centered a pass in front for Ruslan Karimov who slid the puck under Shore to extend the lead.
Shots on goal in the first period were 12-8 for the Rebels
Liam Pue the third overall selection in last years Bantam Draft makes it a 3-0 game at 5:38 of the second period. The assists went to the first overall pick in last years Bantam Draft Maddox Schultz and Connor Bear.–Schultz feathered the puck down low to Pue who snuck in on the left side and snapped the puck under the shoulder of Shore to increase the lead.
Beckett Hamilton, who if he acts like he plays should be next seasons captain scored for the Rebels at 6:15 of the second period. The assist on the goal went to newcomer and former Regina Pat Cole Temple.–Just seconds after the Pats goal, Temple skated across the line and snapped a pass over to Hamilton who wired the puck over Marek Schlenker to get Red Deer on the board.
Pats make it 4-1 at 12:06 of the second period while on the Power Play when Bowling Green Commit Matt Paranych scored his second goal of the game. The assist on the goal went to former Calgary Hitmen Keets Fawcett.–Fawcett got bumped off the puck at the blueline, and Paranych picked up the puck at the left point and cut towards the net and let a wrister go that beat Shore high to the glove side to make it 4-2.
Beckett Hamilton scores on the Power Play to get the Rebels within 2 at 14:49 of the second period. The assist on the goal went to Kalder Varga.–Varga’s shot from the right point was blocked by a Pats defender, but the puck ricocheted back to Hamilton at the mid point, and his long-range shot beat Schlenker to pull the Rebels back to within a pair at 4-2.
Shots in the second period were 16-8 for the Pats
Pats score on the empty net at 19:59 of the third period with the goal going to Zack Moore and the assist going to Jace Egland.–Moore capped off the win with an empty-netter from centre ice.
Shots on goal in the third period were 10-7 for the Rebels. The Rebels outshot the Pats 30-29 in the game.
Marek Schlenker made 28 saves on the 30 shots that he faced for the win for the Pats. The Rebels Peyton Shore stopped 24 of the 28 shots that he faced
Three Stars of the game were 1) Matt Paranych 2) Beckett Hamilton 3) Marek Schlenker
Attendance in Regina was 3207
Rebels next game is Saturday January 10th against the Swift Current Broncos in Swift Current.
The Red Deer Rebels made a couple of notable moves right before the WHL trade deadline on January 8, 2026. They acquired 20-year-old forward Tyson Yaremko from the Portland Winterhawks in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2028 draft (via Moose Jaw). Yaremko, a veteran with over 100 WHL games and solid playoff experience, brings some depth and leadership to the Rebels’ lineup.In a separate deal, the Rebels traded 18-year-old forward Ty Coupland to the Kamloops Blazers for two fourth-round picks: one in 2026 (via Vancouver) and one in their own 2028 draft. Coupland, who had 20 points (9 goals, 11 assists) in 33 games this season and 88 career points in 161 WHL games, this one was a head scratcher to me as Ty Coupland is worth at least a first rounder. Rebels got ripped on that trade.