The Red Deer Rebels were bested in a special-teams duel against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
On Wednesday, Feb. 13, the Rebels travelled to Lethbridge, where the were defeated by the Hurricanes 3-1 in Western Hockey League action. Lethbridge scored on two of its four powerplay opportunities, while Red Deer went scoreless on its three chances with the man advantage.
Special teams is something the Rebels "are having a hard time getting right," noted Rebels head coach Dave Struch.
"But we'll take the positives and get ready (for the next game)," Struch said in a post-game video posted on Rebels' social media.
Kash Andresen got Lethbridge on the board first, tapping a loose puck past Rebels goaltender Peyton Shore 5:40 into the opening period. The powerplay tally was the lone goal of the opening frame.
Struch said he decided to shorten his bench about half way through the first period.
"We made some changes to the lines," said Struch.
"In the last 40 minutes our defence played well and Shore gave us a chance to win. Obviously the result isn't there, but the effort from the guys that we did play was remarkable."
Caden Price added to the Hurricanes' lead 11:33 into the second period. Brayden Yager scored Lethbridge's second goal with the man advantage with about a minute and a half remaining in the second period.
Rebels forward Matthew Gard put Red Deer on the scoreboard 6:29 into the final period with his 12th of the season. Beckett Hamilton knocked the puck away from a Lethbridge defender, then Rebels captain Ollie Josephson then collected the puck and slid it in front to Gard, who was stopped on his first shot, but scored on his own rebound.
Despite being defeated, Red Deer outshot Lethbridge 31-28.
Gard was named third star of the game. Yager was named the game's top star, while Hurricanes goaltender Koen Cleaver was the second star.
Following the game, Red Deer had a 20-27-4-2 record. They sit ninth in the WHL Eastern Conference, 10 points back from a playoff spot with 15 games remaining in the 2024-25 regular season.
The Rebels host the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday, Feb. 14 at the Centrium.
On Monday, Feb. 17, the Rebels will host the Edmonton Oil Kings for a matinee matchup. The Family Day game is set to begin at 2 p.m. at the Centrium in Red Deer's Westerner Park.
