Andy Devlin

Rebels come back from down two, grab two points after a shootout

A match up of teams on opposite ends of the spectrum but headed down the same path saw the Rebels come from behind to snatch the win following a shootout.

The game started off on the right foot for Cameron Hausinger and the Red Deer Rebels, the team took a 1-0 lead into the second period.

With the team working hard to impress the 3721 fans in the seats, Brandon Hagel got them jumping when he posted his team leading 19th goal of the season. With just 1:34 left on the clock in the first period, the teams headed down the tunnel with the score 1-0 for Red Deer.

The hard working Regina Pats made quick work of the Rebels lead when the second period began. Former Rebel Austin Pratt scored on Ethan Anders after he gave up a bad rebound. His team leading 12th goal sparked something in the Pats as you could see the tide change in the game.

At the 13:39 mark of the period, the Pats took their first lead of the game. Sergei Alkhimov worked the puck out of the corner in the Rebels end and scored an unassisted goal. The Russia native scored his sixth goal of the season.

The Pats were not done working hard though. The Pats took a few unnecessary penalties and had to hold off the strong Rebels power play.

Shots were being blocked at every opportunity by the Pats, easily blocking as many shots as actually hit the net. They also did a great job of blocking the passing lanes and ensuring that the skilled players on the Rebels couldn’t get pucks close to Max Paddock.

“Give full marks to the Pats, they worked extremely hard and they keep the game simple,” said Rebels head coach Brent Sutter.

After 40 minutes, the Pats led the Rebels 2-1 and had outshot them 15-12.

One minute and twelve seconds into the third period, the Pats would strike with another dagger. The air in the room was sucked out as Scott Mahovlich made a play in the Rebels end and beat Anders. The Pats extended their lead to two and looked like they would come out of Red Deer with their first win in seven games.

But the radio timeout came at the right time and following some advice from Ethan Sakowich, Cameron Hausinger made a quick adjustment at the ensuing faceoff. When the puck dropped Brett Davis won the draw, swung it to Alexander Alexeyev and he quickly hiked the puck up to a streaking Hausinger.

After fending off a check, Hausinger saw an opening on the short side of Paddock and he ripped a perfectly placed shot that got by Paddock. The Centrium erupted in cheers and the free cowbells that were handed out before the game got put to use.

“Sak (Ethan Sakowich) tapped me and said go line up in his d-spot. A good pass by Alex (Alexander Alexeyev) and I kinda just shoved off the defenceman and closed my eyes and it went in,” Hausinger said about his goal following the game.

“Really I was just trying to get pucks on net, wanted to get something going there.”

The Rebels definitely found their momentum after they cut the lead to one and the ice tilted towards the Pats net.

Red Deer kept pressing and would again find pay dirt when Chris Douglas’ shot from just inside the circle landed inches from Paddock in the area just above the crease. Alex Morozoff was Johnny on the spot and he tucked the puck under the pad of the Pats netminder. Once again the Rebels’ faithful fans jumped to their feet and cheered as loud as they possibly could. It may have been the loudest cheer the building has seen this season.

Off to overtime this game went.

Red Deer certainly had the lions share of the chances but they did not get another puck beyond Paddock’s capable pads.

The teams needed to head to the skills portion of the night’s program and each side would pick their first three skaters to take their chance at earning the extra point.

None of the three skaters for Regina was able to find the back of the net. Red Deer only needed one goal to get by the Pats and they found it on the end of Brett Davis’ stick. His move in front of Paddock gave him the time and space he needed to bend the twine and give the Rebels a much needed two points.

“We found a way to win,”  said Sutter.

“Look at the last two goals, they were just pucks on the net. One goes in the net and the other is a battle around the net. Not everything is going to be pretty or perfect. We’ll just keep getting better, it’s a long year. We found a way to get two points and beat a team that works extremely hard. Good lesson for us.” added Sutter.

Rebel Yell… The three stars on the night were 1) Cameron Hausinger 2) Austin Pratt 3) Brandon Hagel. Red Deer was 0-for-5 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. Red Deer dominated in the face off dot, winning 48 of 71 (67.6%) led by Brett Davis who was 15-for-20. Riley Crane was Regina’s best at 5-for-14. Brett Davis also led on the shot clock, posting 7 shots. Pratt had 5 for the Pats. Regina is headed to Medicine Hat to take on the Tigers on Saturday night, while Red Deer stays home to host the Swift Current Broncos.