Red Deer Rebels goaltender Kyle Kelsey has stepped up his game as of late.
On Friday night Kelsey picked up his second straight shutout in a 2-0 win over the Swift Current Broncos.
The rookie goaltender made 31 saves in the effort including some clutch stops in the second and third periods. He said the accomplishment feel amazing.
“I’ve got my groove back and I’m feeling really good seeing the puck. I think the guys played great. They were putting their body on the lines blocking shots when they had to. An overall good game,” Kelsey said.
“It was a little boring in the first but I got my fair share in the second and third. It made the game a lot more enjoyable and I was just having fun out there.”
The Rebels took the lead in the first period scored by captain Jayden Grubbe. While on the powerplay Frantisek Formanek passed to an open Grubbe on the right side.
Approximately 10 minutes later on a two-on-one break, Jace Isley fired in his 29th of the season when he tucked in the rebound off a Ben King shot.
Those would be the lone goals of the game but the action didn’t stop there as Kelsey kept his team in it with some key stops in the third period.
Head coach Steve Konowalchuk was impressed with his young goaltender’s performance.
“He was good. He made some big saves and it looks like to me he’s got his confidence back. He’s played some good hockey I’m not surprised he can play games like that. It was a good game from him,” Konowalchuk said.
The Broncos were playing for their playoff lives and pushed hard in the second half of the game, which Konowalchuk said wasn’t surprising.
“I like the way we started the game. There’s some good things to take away from a game when you’re playing a team that’s playing playoff hockey,” he said.
“I think for a lot of the game we matched that intensity which is sometimes harder to do when you’re not in that situation. Good job by our guys but we’ve got to regroup and get going here tomorrow.”
The Rebels will rematch the Broncos on Saturday night once again at the Peavey Mart Centrium at 7 p.m.
