Rebels 4 Hitmen 3 (SO)
INNISFAIL — It was another positive result for the Red Deer Rebels Saturday night, but their performance against the Calgary Hitmen was far from flawless.
The Rebels prevailed 4-3 via shootout, but clearly, the Western Hockey League preseason game played before a sell-out throng of 1,000 at the Innisfail Arena was closer than it had to be.
For the second time in three nights — following Wednesday’s 3-0 win at Airdrie — the Rebels dressed a faster and superior lineup than the Hitmen, but a flurry of second-period Red Deer penalties led to a pair of unanswered Calgary power-play goals and a switch in momentum.
Red Deer led 1-0 after 20 minutes on a man-advantage marker from Arseni (formerly Steve) Oursov and pelted Hitmen starting goalie Juraj Holly with 18 shots. But Calgary was up 2-1 after two periods as Trevor Cheek and Kyle Schmidt connected with a Rebel in the penalty box.
The Rebels were assessed seven of 10 minor infractions in the second stanza and the lack of discipline and drive was upsetting to head coach/vice-president of hockey operations Jesse Wallin.
“I thought we had full control in the first period, we came out and established our game exactly how we wanted to,” said Wallin. “But in the second period we were sloppy and lazy and casual and took stupid penalties. We gave them the momentum because we didn’t play our game.”
The Rebels were a different team in the third period, getting a tying goal from Lane Scheidl on an early power play and a go-ahead marker from Innisfail native Nick Bell, whose blast from the point beat veteran goaltender Michael Snider high to the glove side.
However, Hitmen forward Brandon Brossoit scored during a scramble just past the midway point of the period, and following a scoreless overtime frame the Rebels prevailed in a 10-player shootout.
“We came out hard in the third and started to establish our game again, but we got into trouble when our defencemen turned pucks over,” said Wallin.
“On their (Calgary’s) tying goal, our D-man was trying to beat a guy one-on-one in the neutral zone and it ended up being turned over. In that situation one of two things usually happens — you get scored on or you take another penalty. Unfortunately, we got scored on.
“But it’s the time of year where we’re going to use that as a learning experience. We have some young guys in the lineup who got their eyes opened tonight as to how things work at this level.”
The Rebels got shootout goals from Daulton Siwak and Mason Burr, while Greg Chase was the lone Hitmen player — among five shooters — to beat Kraymer Barnstable.
Holly and Snider combined to stop 35 shots through 65 minutes, while Barnstable blocked 11 of 13 shots after rookie Bolton Pouliot had started in the Red Deer net and stopped 11 of 12 through 31 minutes and change.
With the heavy influx of penalties, Wallin and his coaching staff were unable to properly evaluate players, although the bench boss did like Pouliot and had kind words for Scheidl, Siwak and rookie rearguard Matt Pufahl.
The Rebels’ top defencemen were rookies Matt Dumba and 20-year-old Brad Haber. Dumba is headed toward WHL stardom, while Haber is fighting an uphill battle to make the club despite his steady, heads-up play — and calming influence — through two preseason games.
“There’s a lot of younger guys getting their first experience during these exhibition games, so as a 20-year-old you have to try and play your best so they can follow,” said Haber. “The exhibition season is a fun time. I mean it’s really competitive, almost like the playoffs. You have guys trying to make their teams and teams trying to find the best fit.”
Haber, who was acquired from the Seattle Thunderbirds last season, is one of seven potential overage players on the Red Deer roster. As a result, he knows he’s in tough to regain employment with the Rebels.
“The main goal is to get a spot on this team, but who knows what can happen,” he said. “You go out and play your best and maybe you can stay in the league. You just want to work your hardest and see what goes from there.”
“I’d like to see Habes stay in the league and he’s certainly capable of that, whether it’s here or somewhere else,” said Wallin. “He’s a steady guy out there, you can pair him up with the young guys and they can gain confidence playing with him.
“He came in last year and played very well for us. He’s a solid guy and the thing that’s so great about Habes is his character. He’s a quiet leader and the guys look up to him. He’s the type of guy who does whatever is asked of him.”
The Rebels conclude preseason play this week, meeting the Hurricanes Tuesday in Lethbridge and taking on the Edmonton Oil Kings and Medicine Hat Tigers Friday and Saturday in Lacombe and Stettler.
gmeachem@www.reddeeradvocate.com