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Kambeitz leading by example

So far, Adam Kambeitz has proven that he’s captain material.
Rebels vs Oil Kings 2 110925jer
Red Deer Rebel John Persson is out waited by Edmonton Oil Kings goalie Laurent Brossoit during the Rebels 3-0 overtime win Sunday at the Centrium.

Rebels 4 Oil Kings 3 (OT)

So far, Adam Kambeitz has proven that he’s captain material.

The Red Deer Rebels official on-ice leader notched a pair of goals Sunday — including the overtime winner — pacing his squad to a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings in a Western Hockey League encounter played before a recorded crowd of 4,329 at the Centrium.

The pair of markers upped his season output to three, a big reason the Rebels are off to a nifty 2-0 start.

“For me, a big part of being a leader is how I play and my hard work,” said Kambeitz. “Over the last couple of games for the most part I’ve been working real hard. We want to be the hardest-working team in the league and I think I can lead the way for that and show the younger guys what it takes and the hard work it’s going to take for us to be a winning team.”

The Rebels twice fought back from a two-goal deficit, giving up the first two of the game and falling behind 3-1 early in the second period.

Josh Lazowski connected just 1:41 into the contest and T.J. Foster potted a power-play tally seven minutes later.

“They have a very good hockey team. They have a number of returning guys and they had a real good second half last season,” said Rebels GM/head coach Jesse Wallin. “This was their first game of the year and they came out hard and with a lot of intensity. We didn’t match that early so we didn’t get the start we wanted, we were a little bit slow out of the gate. They have a lot of quickness and we weren’t finishing checks in our end of the rink. We didn’t have the intensity we needed early and we weren’t mentally sharp.”

The Rebels drew to within one before the period ended when Colten Mayor, with the Oil Kings’ Cole Benson serving an interference penalty, finished a passing play that included John Persson and Alex Petrovic by beating netminder Laurent Brossoit from the low slot.

Defenceman Martin Gernat gave the visitors a 3-1 lead at 2:32 of the second period, his low wrist shot deflecting off a Red Deer stick and past goalie Patrik Bartosak. But that was it for the Oil Kings, who then encountered some major penalty problems.

Edmonton was assessed six consecutive infractions and were two men short on three occasions. The Rebels cashed in on the final two penalties, as John Persson scored from the doorstep at 15:20 and Kambeitz back-handed a rebound past Brossoit 61 seconds later.

“When you put yourself on the penalty kill that long and with than many five-on-threes, it’s only a matter of time before they get a goal,” said Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal.

“We hung in there at 3-3 but found it tough to get our energy back after (the stretch of penalties).”

“We started to draw some penalties because we started working and moving our feet, and our power play capitalized with a couple of big goals,” said Wallin.

The Rebels held a 9-5 advantage in shots during the scoreless third stanza, but the visitors had the best scoring chance. However, Bartosak — the first star in Friday’s 3-2 shootout win over visiting Kootenay — came up with a huge pad save on Foster.

“He’s been great for us,” said Kambeitz, praising the Czech stopper. “For a young guy coming in here . . . it’s been awesome to see what he’s been doing. He’s been making some great saves for us and if it wasn’t for him I know we wouldn’t have these two wins.”

Red Deer needed just 84 seconds of overtime to pull out the win, Kambeitz cashing a rebound after Mathew Dumba rang a shot off the post.

Wallin credited Kambeitz for turning the game in the Rebels’ favour with a spirited shift late in the second period.

“He created two turnovers when he just stripped guys of the puck in the offensive zone. That shift seemed to really spark us and we cranked it up a notch,” said the Rebels bench boss.

“You see your captain working like that and it forces everyone else to up the level of their game. That’s what you expect from your leader. He’s that kind of guy and we need that from him and we need the rest of the guys to follow. He led the way tonight, for sure.”

Wallin was impressed with his club’s ability to rally, but is looking for more consistency from the opening faceoff.

“On the whole, I’d like to see us play a full 60 minutes. It’s something that’s been a work in process,” he said. “We have some guys who have to learn what it takes to play at this level. These are guys who were real good players coming up through minor hockey, but all of a sudden they get to this level and they have to figure out the compete level every night.

“It’s an ongoing process, but ultimately I like the character that we showed in digging in and coming back. We faced a two-goal deficit twice in the game and found a way to come back and win. It’s a big two points and we’ll continue to build off it.”

gmeachem@www.reddeeradvocate.com

Turning Point

The Oil Kings appeared to be in control after grabbing a 3-1 lead early in the second period, but then ran afoul of the referees and were assessed six consecutive minor penalties. The Rebels cashed in twice during the ensuing power plays, with John Persson and Adam Kambeitz, who would later score the overtime winner, pulling the trigger.

Notable

Rebels defenceman Alex Petrovic surpassed the 100-point WHL career milestone with a trio of assists. The veteran rearguard has scored 17 goals and collected 85 helpers for 102 points in 204 games . . . Sunday’s meeting was the first of six between the two clubs this season. The teams next meet again Jan. 8 in Edmonton. The Rebels were 5-1-0 versus the Oil Kings last season and hold a 19-8-0 lifetime edge over their northern neighbours . . . Forward Turner Elson sat out the game with a minor ‘upper-body’ injury. The Rebels scratched forward Mason Burr and defencemen Lucas Grayson, Brad Deagle, Stephen Hak and Cody Thiel.

Advocate’s Three Stars

1. Adam Kambeitz . . . Two goals and an inspired performance from the Rebels captain.

2. Alex Petrovic . . . Red Deer defender was in on three goals.

3. Martin Gernat . . . Six-foot-five Slovak defenceman had a goal and an assist for the Oil Kings.

What’s Next

The Rebels head east later this week for games Friday and Saturday against the Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders. Red Deer is in Calgary Oct. 7 and play its next home game 24 hours later versus the Kootenay Ice.