Rebels forward Ben King (centre) following Red Deer's only goal of the evening. (CHL TV)

By Jordan Davidson (Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow)

Rebels outshot Oil Kings

Rebels lose season opener to Oil Kings in hard fought battle

Oct 1, 2021 | 10:11 PM

Up in Edmonton is where the Red Deer Rebels started their season Friday evening against the Oil Kings at Rogers Place.

Despite a hard fought battle by the Rebels, the Oil Kings managed to take the home opener 4-1, making it nine straight wins against the Rebels on home ice.

After the usual pomp and ceremony that comes with the first regular season game, the first period almost went by without incident, except for the Rebels having to kill off a Kalan Lind hooking penalty almost halfway through the period.

With less than 5 minutes left in the first, the Oil Kings managed to get on the board. Right-winger Josh Williams got his first of the year, with assists going to Carter Souch and Jakub Demek.

The second period started with the Oil Kings on a power play, but it was during even strength when Edmonton struck again. Left-winger Jacob Boucher was able to score a top-corner goal after a partial break-away.

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The second period was bit feistier than the first. The Rebels took a few more penalties while the Oil Kings Jaxsen Wiebe received a five minute major and a game misconduct for a hit to the head. The period ended with Edmonton still up 2-0. They would also start the third period with over a minute and a half worth of power play time following another hooking penalty from Kalan Lind.

The Oil Kings made use of that power play as Josh Williams scored his second of the game less than thirty seconds into the period, putting the Rebels down 3-0. But that wasn’t the end for Williams as a few minutes later he netted a top shelf goal from the top of the crease for the hat trick, with Jakub Demek getting the assist, which makes three of those on the night for him

The Rebels weren’t about to let Oil Kings goalie Sebastian Cossa leave with a shutout though, as centre Ben King was able to notch one for Red Deer with under four minutes remaining in the game.

Following the goal the Rebels pushed hard to try and get another one, but the game finished with Edmonton taking the win 4-1.

Despite the score, the Rebels outshot the Oil Kings 36-32, leading in that category the entire game. They also won 42 face-offs compared to Edmonton’s 27. Red Deer went 0/3 on the power play, and goaltender Chase Coward saved 28 out of 32 shots.

The Rebels will host the Oil Kings tomorrow (Saturday) night at the Peavey Mart Centrium/ puck drops at 7:00 p.m.. Tickets are available at ticketsalberta.com.

The Western Hockey League announced on Friday that WHL Clubs in all 17 Canadian markets will join Canadians from coast to coast in recognizing and commemorating the legacy of residential schools in the days following the very first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30.

Throughout Opening Week of the 2021-22 WHL Regular Season, from Oct. 1-10, WHL coaches, training staff, officials, and players will sport orange ribbons and orange “Every Child Matters” helmet decals in honour of those impacted by residential schools. A moment of silence will be held during each WHL home-opening game in Canada, giving pause for reflection on the legacy of the residential school system in Canada. The “Every Child Matters” logo will be visible throughout all 17 WHL venues in Western Canada.