Broncos 6
Rebels 3
It’s official.
Following a 6-3 loss to the Swift Current Broncos, the Red Deer Rebels will play the Medicine Hat Tigers in the first round of the 2024 Western Hockey League playoffs.
On Wednesday night at the InnovationPlex in Swift Current, the Broncos claimed the Central Division title with a victory over the Red Deer Rebels.
A year after claiming the division, the Rebels will finish in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. As a result, the Tigers will hold the home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
The Rebels will head to Medicine Hat for Games 1 and 2 on Friday, March 29, and Saturday, March 30. Games 3 and 4 will then move to Red Deer on Tuesday, April 2, and on Wednesday, April 3.
If needed, Game 5 will be played in Medicine Hat on Friday, April 5 and Game 6 in Red Deer on Sunday, April 7. Game 7 would then move back to Medicine Hat on Tuesday, April 9.
All games are set to begin at 7 p.m. Mountain time.
This marks the first time the Rebels and Tigers will meet in the playoffs since 2015 and will also be the seventh time they’ve faced each other in WHL history.
In the game on Wednesday, the Rebels got on the board first just six and a half minutes into the game on the powerplay.
Rookie forward Samuel Drancak knocked in the rebound after Swift Current Broncos netminder Reid Dyck made multiple big stops in front.
The Broncos found the equalizer with less than a minute to go in the opening period off the stick of Clarke Caswell.
From that point on, the game was dominated by the Broncos.
Defenceman Ryan McCleary scored the lone goal of the second period for Swift Current before two quick goals in the third less than 20 seconds apart from Matthew Ward and Josh Filmon less than six minutes in.
The Broncos led 4-1 before Rebels forward Talon Brigley scored his 20th goal of the season near the midway point of the period.
Broncos Connor Gabriel added another goal before Rebels Jhett Larson closed the deficit to two once again after scoring on the powerplay with just over three minutes to go.
Broncos Connor Hvidston added an empty net goal to seal the deal on a 6-3 win.
Next up for the Rebels is back-to-back games against the Edmonton Oil Kings to wrap up the regular season. They’ll play on Saturday in Red Deer at 7 p.m. followed by a Sunday afternoon matchup in Edmonton.