The Red Deer Rebels crushed their Central Division rivals with a dominant 5-0 shutout over the Lethbridge Hurricanes at the Marchant Crane Centrium, outshooting them 44-14 in front of 4,509 fans. After a tight 4-3 win in Lethbridge the night before, Tyson Yaremko led the charge with two goals and an assist, while Beckett Hamilton, Kalder Varga, and Matej Mikes chipped in, and Matthew Kondro posted his first WHL shutout. The victory pushed the Rebels to 15-22-2-2 and jumped them past the Regina Pats into eighth place—the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Yaremko, fresh off a trade-deadline move, praised the welcoming locker room and the team’s work ethic, calling Friday’s tough loss a learning moment. Coach Marc Habscheid loved the speed, offensive-zone pressure, and relentless puck pursuit. Next up: a huge Tuesday night rematch against the Pats at the Centrium, where Red Deer looks to widen the gap and keep charging toward the playoffs.
Beckett Hamilton opened up the scoring on a shorthanded breakaway at 16:27 of the first period unassisted. That was purely the laziest worst effort I have ever seen by players in the history of sports committed by the Lethbridge Hurricanes. There is no excuse for that I am amazed if those players were allowed on the bus after the game.🤣-With time winding down in the first period, Beckett Hamilton jumped on a sloppy Lethbridge pass right after a faceoff in the Rebels’ end. He took off like a rocket on a shorthanded breakaway, bursting in alone on Hurricanes goalie Leif Oaten.
Shots on goal in the first period were 12-4 for the Rebels
Tyson Yaremko makes it a 2-0 game for the Rebels at 7:54 of the second period. The assists on the goal went to Kalder Varga and Jake Missura.–The Rebels kept the pressure on and carried that first-period energy right into the second. Kalder Varga spotted an opening and fired a perfect stretch pass off the boards that Tyson Yaremko scooped up in full stride without breaking momentum. Yaremko wasted no time—he snapped it past the goalie and buried it to put Red Deer up by two.
Kalder Varga makes it 3-0 for the Rebels at 17:47 of the second period with the assist on the goal going to Aleksey Chichkin.–Aleksey Chichkin stepped up from the blue line and ripped a heavy shot toward the net. Kalder Varga, parked right in front untouched at the top of the crease, got a perfect piece of it, then showed some silky hands: he took Oaten forehand to backhand with a slick deke and tucked it home for a commanding 3-0 Red Deer lead.
Shots on goal in the second period were 18-3 for the Rebels
Tyson Yaremko makes it a 4-0 game for the Rebels 55 seconds into the third period. The assists on the goal went to Poul Andersen and Cameron Kuzma.–Just 55 seconds into the third period, Yaremko struck again, this time tucking home Poul Andersen’s rebound.
Matej Mikes makes it a 5-0 game on the Power Play at 15:35 of the third period. The assists on the goal went to Matus Lisy and Tyson Yaremko.–Matej Mikes put the finishing touches on a dominant night for the Rebels with a classic greasy goal late in the game. Tyson Yaremko wired one that clanged hard off the crossbar, sending the puck bouncing wildly in the crease. Chaos erupted—sticks, skates, and bodies everywhere—and Mikes stayed patient in the scrum, found the loose puck amid the madness, and jammed it home to seal the deal.
Shots on goal in the third period were 14-7 for the Rebels. The Rebels outshot the Hurricanes 44-14 in the game.
For the Rebels Matthew Kondro stopped all 14 shots that he faced for the win and the shutout. For the Hurricanes Leif Oaten stopped 39 of the 44 shots that he faced.
Three Stars of the game were 1) Tyson Yaremko 2) Cameron Kuzma 3) Beckett Hamilton
Attendance in Red Deer was 4509
Rebels next game is Tuesday January 20th against the Regina Pats in Red Deer
