2003 – Round 1, Game 5 against the Calgary Hitmen
Red Deer held a 3-1 series lead, with the team having lost their the last matchup between the two teams. Game 5 was held at the Enmax Centrium.
Red Deer and Calgary took turns scoring goals in the first 20 minutes. It was Red Deer getting on the board first as Carsen Germyn beat Joel Martin less than three and a half minutes into the game.
A Calgary power play goal tied the game at one before Red Deer scored a power play goal of their own. Stuart Kerr scored his first goal of the playoffs to give the Rebels a 2-1 lead at the intermission.
Calgary scored the lone goal of the second period at 11:55 to tie the game at two.
Early in the third period, Red Deer scored two goals 70 seconds apart. Joel Stepp had his second of the playoffs and Colin Fraser scored his first, which turned out to be the game-winning goal.
With Red Deer up 4-2, the Hitmen struggled to get themselves back in the game, mustering only a power play goal with nearly four minutes left to play.
Cam Ward shut the door the rest of the way, finishing with a 17-save win. Red Deer moved on to the second round with a 4-1 series victory.
2005 – Round, Game 3 against the Medicine Hat Tigers
The Rebels earned a 1-1 series split in Medicine Hat as the series shifted to Red Deer.
The teams traded first period goals as Colin Fraser got things started early on the power play for his first goal of the playoffs. 10 minutes later Medicine Hat also scored on the power play, tying the game at one as the teams headed to the dressing rooms.
Red Deer outworked Medicine Hat in the second period, scoring once and edging them in shots 9-8. The goal, by Brandon Sutter, came with five minutes left in the second period.
The Tigers pressed for the tying goal and it came on the power play, eight and a half minutes into the third period. Both teams’ netminders closed the door for the rest of regulation.
At the 12:52 mark of the overtime period, Jared Walker scored his first goal of the playoffs to give the Rebels a 4-3 win and a 2-1 series lead. Rebels netminder Andrew Leslie made 38 saves including seven in the extra period.
2015 – Round 1, Game 2 against the Medicine Hat Tigers
Medicine Hat had a 1-0 series lead following a tight 2-1 Game 1. Red Deer looked to score a split at the Medicine Hat Arena.
4006 fans packed the Arena to witness a defensive battle. Both Marek Langhamer and Rylan Toth stood tall in the net as neither goalie wanted to let anything get by them.
Thorugh regulation, the Tigers outshot the Rebels 27-21 but the score remained tied at zero. The teams needed overtime to solve this one and it was a thrilling back and forth affair.
Just past the halfway point of the period, Trevor Cox of the Tigers beat Toth to give the Tigers a 1-0 win and a 2-0 lead in the series. Toth finished with 36 saves in the loss, while Langhamer made 27 saves in the shutout win.
2017 – Round 1, Game 3 against the Lethbridge Hurricanes
After earning a split in the opening two games, the series shifted to Red Deer.
A very early power play got the game started for the Rebels as Lane Zablocki scored to give the Rebels a lead. Six minutes later the Hurricanes had a power play of their own and made good on it, so the teams headed to the dressing rooms tied at one goal apiece.
The teams combined for 27 second period shots but only one found the back of the net and it was for Lethbridge. The goal came with three minutes left in the period.
Red Deer found themselves in trouble early in the third as Lethbridge scored another goal to take a 3-1 lead just three minutes into the period.
Late game heroics was needed and achieved by the Rebels as a power play goal with just over three minutes to play got the team to within a goal. Brandon Hagel scored his second of the playoffs on the goal. Then with Riley Lamb pulled for the extra attacker, Zablocki had his second of the night to tie the game with 20 seconds left on the clock.
The Rebels had the momentum heading into overtime but could not get one of their nine shots past Stuart Skinner. Lethbridge had 16 shots in the first overtime but Lamb stopped them all.
With the game headed to a second overtime, the Rebels and Hurricanes wanted to make quick work of the period so the teams could get some rest. Fan favourite Evan Polei scored 48 seconds in to make the 5017 fans leap to their feet. Red Deer had a 2-1 series lead. Lamb ended the contest with 49 saves.
