Red Deer Rebels' Ben King (left) and Arshdeep Bains (right) play at the Peavey Mart Centrium Friday night against the Medicine Hat Tigers. (Red Deer Rebels/Rob Wallator)

By Alessia Proietti

6-3 drubbing

Rebels secure playoff spot with win against Tigers

Mar 12, 2022 | 8:26 AM

On a day when arguably their best player signed a pro contract with the Vancouver Canucks, the Red Deer Rebels officially clinched a spot in the 2022 WHL Playoffs.

On Friday, at home, Red Deer beat Medicine Hat 6-3, improving their record against their divisional rival this season to 3-2-0-1. Coming in, Red Deer had won seven of its last 10 games, and had 36 wins to Medicine Hat’s 10.

The first period was neck and neck from start to finish.

The Tigers’ down a man, Kalan Lind scored his 14^th goal at 5:30 of the frame assists to none other than Ben King and Arshdeep Bains.

Shortly thereafter, the Tigers equalized, with Carter Chorney scoring his 3rd at 6:34.

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Exactly three minutes later, Medicine Hat’s Logan Barlage capitalized on a Tigers man advantage, getting his 14th to put the visitors ahead 2-1.

At 16:16, still in the first, Lind scored off the draw, catching everyone by surprise, to make it 2-2.

“I just wanted it clean and I turned to stay with my centre … all of a sudden the puck was in the net,” he said post-game. “It was probably one of the easiest goals I ever scored in my career.”

But the period was not yet over, as Bains, the league’s leading point-getter coming in, would score with nine seconds to go in the period and send the Rebels to the break ahead 3-2. Jace Weir and King assisted.

At 6:11 of the second, King notched his third point of the night and league-leading 44th goal of the season, once again on the power play. Christoffer Sedoff and yes, Arshdeep Bains assisted, and Red Deer led 4-2.

Again up a man, at 14:14, Sedoff got a goal of his own, his 5th of the year, Weir and King getting the helpers, and the score now 5-2.

In the final period, the Tigers discipline, or lack thereof, was on display again, and the Rebels made them pay.

At 4:33, Kai Uchacz scored his 11th, King and Sedoff continuing their massive nights with assists.

Medicine Hat’s Gleb Ivanov made up for his penalty at 7:51, scoring his third goal of the season, on the power play, but it was too little, too late.

Rebels coach Steve Konowalchuk was smiling from ear to ear after the game, happy to see the team make it to the playoffs, but calling it just “step one,” with 12 games left to the go in the season.

“They deserve it and it was nice that they could do it on home ice here and win. It was pretty safe to say that before the game we were going to make the playoffs but it was nice that we could win into the playoffs in front of the home crowd,” he said.

Catching up with Arshdeep Bains as well on his new contract, he expressed excitement and pride for his journey ahead.

“I obviously believed in myself, my teammates believed in me, coaches, everyone, so with this environment I knew I could just give myself a chance and just get my foot in the door and I’m excited that it happened,” he said.

The Rebels went 4/5 on the man advantage, while Med Hat went 2/5.

All three stars went to the home team, Kalan Lind receiving third star honours for his two goals. Ben King received second star with four assists and one goal. Future Canuck Arshdeep Bains took the first star having two assists and a goal. Honourable mention to Christoffer edoff who had one goal and two assists also.

The Rebels will face the Tigers once again Saturday night at Co-Op Place. Faceoff is at 7 p.m. with the broadcast live on 106.7 REWIND radio at 6:50.

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