(Photo: Rob Wallator)

By Troy Gillard

entertaining tilt

Rebels edged by Blades in overtime

Jan 3, 2020 | 10:10 PM

The Red Deer Rebels lost a game in overtime for the first time this season as they fell 4-3 to the Saskatoon Blades Friday night at the Westerner Park Centrium.

The Rebels fought of penalty trouble in the first two periods and dominated the third to earn a single point for their efforts.

“It was kind of like we were two different teams,” surmised Brent Sutter, Rebels GM and head coach. “I wasn’t happy with the first half of the game. We took six minor penalties in the first 25 minutes of the game and that takes you out of your flow.”

Arshdeep Bains opened the scoring for the Rebels 6:58 into the first period with a power play goal past Blades goalie Nolan Maier.

Scott Walford tied it for Saskatoon just less than five minutes later with a power play goal of his own.

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Josh Tarzwell gave the Rebels a 2-1 lead 3:32 into period two as the puck bounced off of the Red Deer native and into the Blades net for his 18^th goal of the season.

The Blades tied the game 2-2 with another power play tally at the 5:03 mark as Nolan Kneen fired a wrist shot from the slot past Rebels goalie Byron Fancy.

Saskatoon then took a 3-2 lead when Kyle Crnkovic put one home top shelf with just over four minutes left in the middle frame.

Red Deer pulled even 1:58 into the third period when Bains finished off a wraparound attempt by Dawson Barteaux for his second goal of the game and 13^th of the season.

The Rebels outshot Saskatoon 12-2 in the third period and controlled much of the play while doing so.

“We were better in the third. We were really good because we played the right way,” said Sutter.

The game went to overtime where the Blades had a pair of outstanding scoring chances before Chase Wouters finished off a Saskatoon rush with his 15^th goal of the year at the 3:35 mark to give his team the win.

“We had to play hard for the last 20 to get a point tonight. It was that first half. We just can’t take that many penalties,” Sutter lamented. “We’ll take the point, move on and get ready for tomorrow.

The Rebels outshot Saskatoon 32-24 on the night and were 1-for-3 on the power play while the Blades were 2-for-6.

NOTES… Rebels scratches for the game were defenceman Kyle Masters (lower body, week to week) and forward Ethan Rowland… Rebels defenceman Christoffer Sedoff has been named to Team White for the Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game to be played Jan. 16 in Hamilton, ON… defenceman Ethan Sakowich was recognized prior to Friday’s game as the Rebels Player of the Month for December.

NEXT GAME: Saturday night at 7 p.m. as the Rebels welcome the Moose Jaw Warriors to the Westerner Park Centrium. The radio broadcast on 106.7 THE DRIVE begins at 6:30 p.m.