(Photo: Rob Wallator)

By Kael Clark

Solid home game

Hard work pays off for Rebels in 5-2 win over Moose Jaw

Dec 5, 2019 | 9:04 AM

A great team effort resulted in the Red Deer Rebels earning a 5-2 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors Wednesday night at the Westerner Park Centrium.

The Rebels got their home crowd into it early with a goal just 56 seconds into the game. The second line pounced on a turnover in Moose Jaw’s end leading to Ben King feeding a wide open Chris Douglas in front for a one-timer that beat goalie Adam Evanoff for a 1-0 Rebels lead. For Douglas it was his seventh goal of the season.

After some relentless pressure, the Warriors were gifted their first goal off a lucky bounce off of a Rebels defenceman and into the net with just six seconds left in the first period.

In the second, Ethan Sakowich collected a loose puck at centre ice then led a 2-on-1 rush with Josh Tarzwell, but kept it for himself and ripped a shot high short side past Evanoff for a 2-1 Rebels lead. Sakowich also now has seven goals on the year.

The Rebels had more luck bounce their way minutes later while on the powerplay. Dawson Barteaux let a shot go from the point that pin-balled off a couple legs before Arshdeep Bains finished the play with his sixth goal of the season.

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Late in the third period, Brett Davis took it upon himself to expand Red Deer’s lead. The veteran centre won a faceoff in the attacking zone, then tucked a wraparound past Evanoff for his sixth goal of the season and a 4-1 Rebels cushion.

Just over a minute later, Brayden Tracey took the puck behind the Rebels net and fed a cross-crease pass to Owen Hardy for an empty net tap in past goalie Byron Fancy to make it 4-2.

Tarzwell, however, sealed the deal with an empty net breakaway goal for a 5-2 final score.

“I thought the last two periods we got our feet moving and got going. The first period, we weren’t moving our feet. I thought the third period, perhaps, could’ve been our best third period all year,” said Brent Sutter, Rebels GM and head coach. “Byron was really good and played well for us.”

Fancy had a great night in stopping 30 out of 32 shots he faced. At the other end, Evanoff turned aside 28 out of 32 shots he saw.

“It was a good team win for us. We didn’t come out strong in the first period but we regrouped and we had a good second and had the best third period we played all year I think,” said Sakowich, the game’s first star.

The Rebels and Warriors play again Friday night in Moose Jaw (6 p.m. on 106.7 THE DRIVE).