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Rebels doubled up by Tigers to snap two-game win streak

Oct 8, 2021 | 9:54 PM

It was a low-scoring and tight affair after 40 minutes of play Friday night, but ultimately the Red Deer Rebels came up short against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.

Red Deer, now 2-2-0-0, were coming off two straight wins in which they outscored their opponents a combined 9-2.

On Friday, they fell behind early at the Peavey Mart Centrium, when Lukas Svejkovsky got the visitors (now 1-2-0-0) on the board at 3:24 of the first period.

Svejkovsky got his second of the night and fourth of the young season at 9:46, and the Tigers were up 2-0 at the break.

In the middle frame, Red Deer broke through at 13:00 with a goal from centre Carter Anderson, his first of the season. Hunter Mayo and Christoffer Sedoff earned helpers.

Just 20 seconds into the third, Bogdans Hodass scored his first of the year, this time on the powerplay, to re-establish a two-goal lead for Med Hat.

That goal came with the Rebels’ Ben King in the box for holding, a penalty he incurred at 18:41 of the second.

Then at 5:24 of the final frame, Point Roberts’ own Svejkovsky notched the hat trick goal, putting the Tigers up 4-1.

17-year-old Jace Weir scored his second of the season with 64 seconds left to cut the lead to 4-2, but that was as close as they’d come. King and Sedoff had the assists.

Post-game, Rebels head coach Steve Konowalchuk praised his team for doing good things, but added that not everyone was on at the right time.

“I thought we played not bad, but we still have to learn to have the desperation from every guy for the whole 60 minutes at this level,” he said. “That’ll be our goal tomorrow. We expect more from some of our guys.”

Konowalchuk also thought his squad had a chance after getting back within a goal in the second.

“If we come back (in the third), we’d have had a lot of energy,” he said. “I don’t know if it was emotions, trying to do too much, or getting away from the game plan, and we did settle down and got a few more chances, but that third goal was the backbreaker.”

In his fourth straight game to start the season, Rebels goaltender Chase Coward stopped 15 of 19 shots.

On the night, Red Deer outshot their opponents 32-19. The Rebels went 0/2 on the powerplay, while Med Hat was 1/4.

Svejkovsky took first star honours with four points, Tigers goalie Beckett Langkow was named second star after stopping 30 of 32 shots, and third star was Red Deer’s Carter Anderson who had one goal on the night.

Red Deer will have a chance to redeem themselves with a game Saturday night in Lethbridge (2-1-0-0). Puck drop is at 7 p.m. with the broadcast live at 6:50 on 106.7 REWIND Radio.