The Red Deer Rebels (10-24-8-3, 31 points) entered the contest riding a 12-game winless streak. The Kamloops Blazers (19-23-1-2, 41 points) broke their own three-game losing streak with a win in Calgary on Friday against the hapless Hitmen.
Rookie Brodi Stuart of the Blazers had missed the last two games for the Blazers, he returned to the lineup tonight. He brought with him the fifth most points by a rookie with 29.
A minor change for the Rebels on the lineup sheet, Justin Svenson replaced Hunter Donohoe on the fourth line.
Riley Lamb and Dylan Ferguson would be your starting goaltenders for the night’s 60 minutes of WHL action.
Early on the teams would feel each other out, they have not played each other since the Rebels took a B.C. Division road trip in early November, a 3-2 Kamloops win.
Just past the halfway point Josh Tarzwell tipped an Alexander Alexeyev point shot past a screen Dylan Ferguson on the power play. It was his first goal as a Red Deer Rebel and gives the home team their first lead. Alexeyev extends his personal point streak to five games. Tarzwell had this to say about potting his first as a Rebel, “Yeah but it doesn’t really matter in the end unfortunately.” Brent Sutter though that he and Reese Johnson were a couple of the team’s best players for the second night in a row.
A high shot a few moments later slapped the helmet right off of Ferguson causing a stoppage in play. Red Deer maintained pressure on Kamloops for much of the first period, registering their ninth shot of the night to just two by the Blazers.
The Blazers had a chance to tie it up when Nick Chyzowski had a short handed breakaway in which he was hooked. The ref gave the signal for a penalty shot and the pro-Red Deer crowd booed Chyzowski as he headed toward the Rebel net on his free shot. What happened next can only be described as rare. Chzyowski crossed the blue line and just completely lost the handle of the puck and it rolled down the ice into the corner.
The period would end with Red Deer on the power play for another 20 seconds and a 1-0 lead. They out shot the Blazers 14-6 in what might have been their best period in a month.
The tide would turn in the Blazers favor in the second period.
Exactly eight minutes into the second period a hit by Tylor Ludwar wasn’t appreciated by Ethan Sakowich and the two dropped their mitts. The Blazers needed a spark and Ludwar provided it. The penalties were evened up on the play due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty given to Sakowich.
The penalty killing on this night was great for the Rebels, the team would not allow a goal on three penalty kills. Most notably Pawlenchuk and Tarzwell were blocking shots and making the Blazers players miss on their chances. Reese Johnson was also a notable penalty kill contributor.
Shortly after a Red Deer penalty expired, Brodi Stuart shovelled a puck towards the Rebel net and Jackson Shepard would tuck his fifth goal of the season past Riley Lamb to tie the game up with just under eight minutes left in the second period.
The bad bounces would continue to haunt the Rebels in this game.
Quinn Benjafield of the Blazers took a harmless looking shot, that provided a huge rebound. Travis Walton of the Blazers is there to redirect the shot into the net with his body for his second goal of the season and the Blazers are up 2-1. The goal would prove to be the game winner and continue the Rebels losing streak, now at 13 games.
Kamloops not only lead on the score sheet in the second period, they out shot the Rebels 13-12.
Orrin Centazzo would put the game away in the third period with a very late goal to make it 3-1. It would be his second goal as a Blazer, having come over in the deadline deal with the Everett Silvertips.
The Rebels faithful then streamed out of the building like it was a fire drill.
Brent Sutter would pull Riley Lamb for the final 2:06 of the game but it was to no avail. The Kamloops Blazers would score their second win of their Central Division road trip and put themselves eight points back of the Spokane Chiefs for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
The final would be 3-1 Kamloops. Red Deer would out shoot Kamloops 37-26 on this night but it was just not enough.
Brent Sutter was much more pleased with his team’s effort compared to the game against Prince Albert on Friday night, “Well I thought we played well, you know obviously scoring is difficult for us. We need to get some offense from our top guys. They are struggling with that right now.”
“I thought we played hard, we played well… What can I say, you can’t question the effort, you can’t question the work ethic.” added Sutter.
Rebel Yell… The game’s three stars were 1) Dylan Ferguson (36 svs) 2) Josh Tarzwell (1st goal as a Rebel) 3) Jackson Shepard (game tying goal). Five players between the teams had five shots a piece, Tarzwell and Kristian Reichel for the Rebels, Centazzo, Stuart and Jermaine Loewen for the Blazers. Another strong outing in the faceoff circle for Resse Johnson, he went 11-for-19 to lead all players. The Rebels continue their home stretch on Tuesday night when they face the division leading Medicine Hat Tigers. Kamloops will make the trek to face the Edmonton Oil Kings later today.
