The Red Deer Rebels battled down to the wire with the Lethbridge Hurricanes for the second straight night in the preseason.
After a tight 3-2 win Friday at the Centrium, the Rebels were on the losing end of a 3-2 game in Lethbridge on Saturday night.
Red Deer pushed the contest into overtime, but Zak Stringer found the mark in the extra frame to earn the victory for the Hurricanes.
Midway through the first, Rylan Thiessen scored his second goal in as many days to open up an early lead for the home side.
Christ Douglas buried shorthanded for the Rebels late in the first to tie the game.
Zak Smith pulled Red Deer ahead briefly in the third, but Chase Whitecroft scored to push the game into overtime.
Byron Fancy and Eric Ward split time in the Rebels net. Fancy stopped 10 of 11 shots he faced and Ward turned aside 18 of 20.
Red Deer went goalless in five power play opportunities.
Next up for the Rebels is a home date with the Medicine Hat Tigers on Sept. 13. Red Deer will conclude the preseason on next Sunday in Calgary against the Hitmen.
The Rebels regular season home opener is Sept. 21 against the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Rebels deal Morozoff
On Monday, the Rebels traded 18-year-old forward Alex Morozoff to the Seattle Thunderbirds for a fifth round pick in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft.
Through 94 WHL regular season games, all with the Rebels, Morozoff recorded 14 goals and nine assists. The Saskatoon, Saskatoon, Sask. product was originally a seventh round, 149th overall pick by the Rebels in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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