Tigers 4 Rebels 3 (OT)
MEDICINE HAT — There was a time, as recent as last winter, when the Red Deer Rebels might have been tickled with gaining a single point in a Western Hockey League game at Medicine Hat.
That attitude has changed this season.
“We’re leaving disappointed with the fact we could have had two points,” Rebels GM/head coach Brent Sutter said Friday, following a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tigers. “We’re leaving here disappointed that we lost a point.
“It’s a situation where we have to find a way to win hockey games. It’s a road game, we’ll take the point, but we played well enough here tonight that we had an opportunity to get two (points).”
The Rebels grabbed their first and only lead of the evening when Scott Feser potted his ninth goal of the season, a short-handed marker, at 17:07 of the second period.
Down 3-2, the Tigers pulled even when Zach Fischer scored his first of the season at 9:23, forcing extra time.
Anthony Ast opened the scoring for the Tigers 9:56 into the contest and Presten Kopeck potted an equalizer for the Rebels just under five minutes later. From there, Cole Sanford restored the Tigers’ lead with his 17th of the season at 3:48 of the second period and Rebels defenceman Brett Cote replied with his fourth exactly four minutes later.
“We played well for the first 40 minutes, and then we got on our heels for 10 minutes in the third,” said Sutter. “We got our game back near the end, we played well the last 10 minutes of the third. Then in overtime we had a breakdown in our own zone.”
The Rebels performance, at least, was far superior to what they put forth in a 4-2 loss at Medicine Hat Nov. 18.
“We played a different game here tonight. We played with a lot more urgency,” said Sutter.
The Rebels, who host the Swift Current Broncos tonight, were three-for-three on the penalty kill and did not get a power-play opportunity.
“Nope,” said Sutter, when asked if it was proper that the Tigers were not assessed a single penalty.
gmeachem@www.reddeeradvocate.com