The Red Deer Rebels snapped a five-game losing streak and earned their first victory on a grueling six-game B.C. road trip with a gritty 2-1 win over the Vancouver Giants on Sunday, February 1, at the Langley Events Centre. The game marked the only meeting of the season between the teams, with Red Deer outshooting Vancouver 37-22, going 1-for-3 on the power play, and holding firm after the Giants pulled goaltender Kelton Pyne for an extra attacker in the final two minutes but failed to equalize. The Rebels, now 17-27-2-2 with 38 points, remain tied with the Regina Pats for eighth place in the WHL Eastern Conference playoff race—though having played two more games—while the struggling Giants, missing several key players including top defensemen and forwards due to injuries, fell to 18-29-1-2 (39 points) and extended their losing skid to eight games after a heavy 9-2 defeat the previous night. Canadian crooner and four-time Grammy winner Michael Bublé, a lifelong hockey enthusiast who once dreamed of playing professionally and has been a co-owner (minority partner) of his hometown Vancouver Giants since 2008, oversees a franchise now mired in the Western Conference basement. This triumph was also Red Deer’s first at the Langley Events Centre since February 18, 2018, providing a much-needed boost as their road swing concludes Tuesday in Prince George.
Shots on goal in the scoreless first period were 16-6 for the Rebels.
Talon Brigley gets his 15th goal of the season at 5:14 of the second period to make it a 1-0 game for the Rebels. The assists on the goal went to Kohen Lodge and Aleksey Chichkin.–The game remained deadlocked at 0-0 through the opening frame, but the Rebels broke through just moments into the second period. Kohen Lodge threaded a nice centering feed that caromed off Talon Brigley’s stick, then clipped a Giants defender before trickling across the line—giving Brigley his 15th goal of the season.
Spruce Grove, Alberta native and the 8th overall pick in the 2023 WHL Bantam Draft Brett Olsen evened the game up for the Giants at 10:23 of the second period while on the Power Play. The assists on the goal went to Slovakian Tobias Tomik and Los Angeles Kings 2025 7th rounder Will Sharpe.
Shots on goal in the second period were 11-6 for the Rebels.
Nate Yellowaga made the game 2-1 for the Rebels at 6:51 of the third period while on the Power Play. The assists on the goal went to Kalder Varga and Beckett Hamilton.-On Red Deer’s second man-advantage of the night, Kalder Varga took off down the right wing and threaded a beautiful pass to Nate Yellowaga, who snapped it home cleanly for his sixth tally of the year, putting the Rebels ahead 2-1.
Shots on goal in the third period were 10 each. The Rebels outshot the Giants 37-22 in the game.
Matthew Kondro made 21 saves on the 22 shots that he faced for the win for the Rebels. For the Giants former Regina Pat Kelton Pyne made 35 saves on the 37 shots he faced.
Three Stars of the game 1) Nate Yellowaga 2) Brett Olsen 3) Kalder Varga
Attendance in Langley was 3912
Rebels next game is Tuesday February 3rd in Prince George against the Cougars.
