Red Deer Rebels goalie Ethan Anders recognizes the tough job ahead of him.
The Rebels second-year netminder is tasked with shutting down the best offence in the WHL and one of the best in the country if Red Deer hopes to move in the WHL playoffs.
Anders had an up-and-down year in Red Deer, at times looking like he was capable of stealing games and others where he struggled.
He beat the Raiders on Oct. 6 with a stellar 49-save outing and bookended the four-game season series with a 39-save gem on March 1. In between, he was pulled against the Raiders when he allowed three goals on 10 shots. Overall, on the season he had a 28-22-4-1-5 record, a 3.09 goals against average and .907 save percentage.
Stopping an offence that scored 307 goals in 68 games or 4.5 per-game, is not going to be easy. Either way, Anders seems undeterred by the challenged.
“Could be a busy series. Could not be. Just go out there and play one game at a time and we’ll see what happens,” said the 2019 NHL Draft eligible netminder ahead of the series.
Busy, could be a blessing for Anders who has thrived in games where he’s faced high volume. In nine games this season where he has seen 40 or more shots, Anders has an impressive 6-1-1-1 record.
In the other crease, is the WHL Eastern Conference Goalie of the Year, Ian Scott. All he did this season was post a 1.83 GAA, .932 SV% and a 38-8-1-2 record. And just casually set a new franchise record with eight shutouts. Scott was also with the American Hockey League Toronto Marlies last spring on a run to a Calder Cup victory.
Rebels captain Reese Johnson has lit the lamp on Scott before but knows it won’t be easy in this series. Making it tough on such a strong goalie is something Johnson believes can and has to be done.
“We want to go to the net, get to the dirty areas. Can’t let him see pucks. Get good screens there for sure. Make it hard on him,” said Johnson, who scored a career-high 27 goals this year.
For Anders, 18, he is aware of the pedigree in the other crease but is trying to ignore the noise around it.
“I just know I have to go out there and outplay him every night. I know if I do that, we’ll come out with some wins,” he said.
Anders is hoping those wins will erase some of the heartbreak from his first ever WHL playoff appearance last season. In three starts against the Lethbridge Hurricanes, he allowed 10 goals on 88 shots. There were a lot of nerves last year, something he feels like he has learned to deal with over the course of the 2018-19 campaign.
Last year, it didn’t go as well as we wanted. Hopefully this year we get a different result,” Anders said.
“I just know what I’m going into. Last year I wasn’t sure what playoffs were about in this league, now I know. It’s easier to prepare and get ready for a big series.”
The series gets underway Friday in Prince Albert. The Rebels return home on March 26 for Game 3 of the series, with Game 4 on March 27.
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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