Pats 7 Rebels 6 (shootout)
It’s been a rough road trip for the Red Deer Rebels.
After having their nine-game win streak snapped in Prince Albert on Jan. 31, the Rebels have lost three straight games, including a 7-6 loss to the Regina Pats on Sunday in front of 3,582 fans at the Brandt Centre.
The usually defensively stingy Rebels have allowed six goals in back-to-back games and at least four in three straight.
Before the weekend, Red Deer had only given up six or more goals twice in 47 games.
The final stop of the five-game road swing is Swift Current on Tuesday when they take on the Broncos.
In Sunday’s loss, the Pats and Rebels traded goals in the opening frame, with Frantisek Formanek and Mats Lindgren getting on the board for Red Deer. Regina scored on the power play to open the game and shorthanded with 1:40 left in the first period.
Kalan Lind notched his 10th goal of the year on the power play to help Red Deer regain the lead, but it lasted only four minutes and 29 seconds when Tanner Howe buried for the Pats to tie the game at three.
Rebels captain Kai Uchacz woke up in the third period, burying a natural hat trick. He scored 16 seconds into the third, then scored 5:21 later, his 32nd of the year, to open up a 5-3 advantage.
The Pats stormed back with three straight goals over five minutes in the third, opening up a 6-5 lead, their first since the first period.
Uchacz struck again with 1:37 to go, burying a rebound off a point shot from Hunter Mayo.
Jhett Larson, who had four assists in regulation, missed the first shot for Red Deer in the shootout, and Uchacz also failed to convert, while Braxton Whitehead and Howe scored for the Pats.
Rebels goalie Rhett Stoesser made 16 saves in the loss, while Ewan Huet stopped 23 for the Pats to earn the victory.
Red Deer was one-for-five on the man advantage in the loss, while the Pats scored a pair of power play goals. Regina defenceman Ty Gibson had four assists in the win.
With the loss, Red Deer sits fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 27-15-1-6 record. Red Deer is second in the central, just one point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers.