Rebels 2 Americans 1 (shootout)
It may have taken the Red Deer Rebels five rounds in the shootout to beat the Tri-City Americans, but they got the job done.
Forward Frantisek Formanek beat goaltender Tomas Suchanek on a forehand to backhand move to win a 2-1 thriller.
Rebels Ben King and Americans Adam Mechura also scored earlier in the second round of the shootout but the rest were unsuccessful.
With the victory, the Rebels will head back home with a 3-2 record on the U.S. road trip. In addition to the win in Tri-City, they also beat the Spokane Chiefs and the Portland Winterhawks but lost to the Seattle Thunderbirds and the Everett Silvertips.
After a scoreless first period Saturday, the Rebels scored 44 seconds into the middle frame by Jace Isley. His 24th of the year came while on the penalty kill for his Western Hockey League-leading seventh shorthanded tally.
At the midway point, the Americans found the equalizer at the midway point of the second period off the stick of Adam Mechura.
In the third, the Rebels had plenty of opportunities including two powerplays but both squads were unable to break the tie. Red Deer had a rough night on the powerplay failing to score on all five opportunities but they also held Tri-City at bay on the man advantage twice.
In the overtime, neither team found the back of the net and it marked the fourth time in the last six games the Rebels played in extra time.
For the third time during the U.S. road trip, Red Deer headed to the shootout where they saw some success so far this season with a 3-3 record.
Red Deer will now return to Alberta and will take on the Kamloops Blazers next Friday at the Peavey Mart Centrium at 7 p.m.