The Red Deer Rebels finally got back into the win column, snapping a 13-game losing skid this past weekend.
On Saturday, Jan. 25, the Rebels topped the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-1 in a Western Hockey League matchup at the Peavey Mart Centrium. This was Red Deer's first win since Dec. 14.
In his return to the Rebels lineup, Jhett Larson opened the scoring for his team about 11 minutes into the first period. Larson had missed 20 games after breaking arm. He added an assist on a Matthew Gard tally about five minutes later.
Brett Calhoon scored his seventh of the season and third as a Red Deer Rebel in the dying seconds of the opening period to extend Red Deer's lead to three.
Derek Thurston and Beckett Hamilton scored two more for Red Deer in the third period. Warriors forward Ethan Semeniuk spoiled a shutout bid from Rebels goaltender Chase Wutzke by scoring with just 10 seconds left in the game.
Wutzke finished the game with 21 saves on 22 shots, while Warriors goaltender Josh Banini stopped 35 of 40.
Larson was named the game's first star, with Rebels forward Nishaan Parmar's two assists earning him second star and Hamilton's two-point effort resulting in him being named third star.
On Sunday, Jan. 26, the Rebels travelled to Calgary, where they were bested by the Hitmen 6-1.
Carter Yakenchuk opened the scoring for Calgary 7:32 into the opening period. Tanner How doubled the Hitmen lead about seven minutes into the second period.
Samuel Drancak answered back for Red Deer, putting the puck past Hitmen goaltender Anders Miller 13:32 into the middle frame — Calhoon picked up the lone assist on Drancak's sixth of the season.
Red Deer wasn't able to find the back for the rest of the game and Calgary rattled off four more goals before the final buzzer.
Wutzke stopped 28 of 34 shots in the Rebels crease, while Miller stopped 17 of 18 shots for the Hitmen.
The Rebels now have a 16-24-4-2 record on the season, which puts them in ninth place in the WHL Eastern Conference. Red Deer is currently 11 points back from the eighth-place Brand Wheat Kings with about two months left in the season.
Red Deer is on the road this week. The Rebels will first travel to Brandon to battle the Wheat Kings on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Then Red Deer will visit Regina on Friday, Jan. 31 for a game against the Pats and Moose Jaw on Saturday, Feb. 1 for a game against the Warriors.
The Rebels' next home game is Friday, Feb. 7 against the Moose Jaw Warriors.
