On Family Day weekend, Sockey Day in Red Deer brought plenty of energy and community spirit in support of United Way Central Alberta, as fans packed the Centrium with 5,553 in attendance and participated in the classic tradition of tossing socks onto the ice during the second intermission for charity—though one has to wonder how many decided to peel off their sweaty game-day pairs and launch them, then I remembered these aren’t Oshawa Generals fans and I knew there was no way that would happen here.
The Red Deer Rebels treated their matchup against the Lethbridge Hurricanes as a true must-win in their ongoing playoff push, and they delivered in thrilling fashion with a hard-fought 4-3 overtime victory. Poul Andersen emerged as the hero once again, scoring the winner in extra time for the second straight game, while Matej Mikes, Matus Lisy, and Patrick Sopiarz supplied the regulation goals. Goaltender Matthew Kondro was rock-solid between the pipes, earning his 14th win of the season.The win propelled the Rebels to 21-28-2-2 and 46 points, vaulting them into sole possession of seventh place in the WHL Eastern Conference standings—one point clear of both the Regina Pats and Moose Jaw Warriors—with 15 games left in a race that’s shaping up to go right down to the wire. Andersen has been on fire lately with points in five straight games and seven of nine (4G, 5A), while Varga has points in three straight and five of six (1G, 5A), and Nate Yellowaga has been producing in 10 of his last 12 (3G, 8A). Red Deer was without Cameron Dillard, Cole Temple (lower body), and Michael Mikan for the contest, but the team dug deep to keep their postseason hopes alive in what was a back-and-forth battle from start to finish.
Matej Mikes opens up the scoring for the Rebels at 2:03 of the first period with the assists on the goal going to Cameron Kuzma and Kalder Varga.–Matej Mikes opened the scoring early for the Red Deer Rebels, capitalizing on a perfect feed from Cameron Kuzma. Working from the base of the circle, Kuzma delivered a precise pass to Mikes, who was streaking into the high slot. Mikes wasted no time, roofing a sharp shot past Lethbridge Hurricanes goaltender Koen Cleaver to put Red Deer ahead 1-0 right out of the gate.
Matus Lisy makes it a 2-0 game scoring his 5th of the season at 8:57 of the first period on a pinball type goal with the helpers on the goal going to Jiri Kamas and Matej Mikes.–The Rebels stretched their lead to 2-0 just over six minutes later, thanks to a fortunate bounce off Matus Lisy’s shot. The Slovak defenseman wired a puck toward the net from the point that deflected off a Hurricanes defender and trickled past Koen Cleaver, giving Lisy the goal and Red Deer a commanding two-goal cushion early in the game.
Okotoks, Alberta native Grady Pichette gets an unassisted goal at 16:18 of the first period to get the Hurricanes on the board.–The Hurricanes answered back late in the first period to make it a one-goal game heading into the intermission. Grady Pichette pounced on a loose puck in the slot and ripped a quick snap shot past Red Deer goaltender Matthew Kondro, slicing the Rebels’ lead to 2-1.
Shots on goal in the first period were 13-8 for the Rebels
Former Kelowna Rocket Kayden Longley tied the game up for the Hurricanes at 11:42 of the second period. The assists on the goal went to Grady Pichette and Czech Import Tomas Malinek.–The Hurricanes knotted things up in the second period, erasing Red Deer’s early advantage. A crisp sequence at the blue line set up Kayden Longley, who buried a redirect off a point shot to beat Matthew Kondro, making it 2-2—the only goal of the middle frame
Shots on goal in the second period were 16-12 for the Rebels
Patrick Sopiarz scores his 7th goal of the season at 1:25 of the third period with the assists on the goal going to Matus Lisy and Poul Andersen.–The momentum shifted firmly back to the Rebels early in the third period as Matus Lisy made his mark once more. The defenseman unloaded a heavy point shot that Patrick Sopiarz deftly tipped in front of the net, redirecting it past the Hurricanes’ goaltender to restore Red Deer’s lead at 3-2.
Former Moose Jaw Warrior Owen Berge tied the game up for the Hurricanes at 15:47 of the third period with the assist on the goal going to former Okotoks Oiler Kade Duell.
Shots on goal in the third period were 13-12 for the Rebels
For the second game in a row Poul Andersen was the overtime hero scoring at 2:49 of Overtime while on the Power Play. The assists on the goal went to Matej Mikes and Nate Yellowaga.–The Rebels carried their momentum into overtime with a full three-minutes power play left to open the extra frame. After peppering Koen Cleaver with shots, they finally broke through on their seventh attempt of the man advantage: a loose rebound in the crease fell to Andersen, who calmly deposited it into the open net to seal the 4-2 victory and secure two huge points for Red Deer.
Shots on goal in overtime were 7-0 for the Rebels. The Rebels outshot the Hurricanes 49-32 in the game.
Matthew Kondro stopped 29 of the 32 shots that he faced for the win for the Rebels. For the Hurricanes Koen Cleaver stopped 45 of the 49 shots that he was pelted with on the night.
Three Stars of the game were 1) Poul Andersen 2) Kohen Cleaver 3) Matus Lisy
Attendance in Red Deer was 5553
Rebels next game is Monday Family Day in Medicine Hat against the Tigers at 2pm
