Czech-mate: Rebels win 5-round shootout to close U.S. road trip

Scoring summary

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Netminders Rhett Stoesser and Tomas Suchanek, who is from Oloumouc, Czechia, stood tall in the first, each stopping nine shots to keep the game deadlocked at zero after twenty minutes.

The 18 saves between them included this five-alarm stop by Cremona, AB’s Stoesser.

But it didn’t take long into the second for things to get moving as Jace Isley (24th) scored just 44 seconds in. That goal came shorthanded, marking the WHL-leading seventh time Isley has scored with his team a man down this season.

Then at 9:02 of the second, Pisek, Czechia’s Adam Mechura (17th) equalized for Tri-City.

There was nothing doing in the third, nor in overtime, at least in the way of goals, so the teams headed to the shootout — and boy, was it a fun one!?

Here’s how it went down:

Round 1
TC – Jalen Luypen – miss
RD – Kai Uchacz – miss
Round 2
Adam Mechura – goal
Ben King – goal
Round 3
Ethan Ernst – miss
Jace Isley – miss
Round 4
Jordan Gavin – miss
Jhett Larson – miss
Round 5
Lukas Dragicevic – miss
Frantisek Formanek – GOAL

That’s Chrudim, Czechia’s Frantisek Formanek with the winner for the Rebels.

The Rebels’ Stoesser (19-6-0-0) stopped 26 of 27 shots faced while his counterpart Suchanek (20-11-0-1) stopped 34 of 35.

Red Deer was 0/5 and Tri-City 0/2 with the man advantage.

THREE STARS

1st: (RD) Rhett Stoesser – 26 saves on 27 shots faced

2nd: (TC) Adam Mechura – 1 goal

3rd: (TC) Tomas Suchanek – 34 saves on 35 shots faced

The Red Deer Rebels have 16 games to go this regular season. They sit firmly atop the Central Division with 76 points, 14 ahead of Lethbridge, each having played 52 games. They are 6-4-0-0 in the last 10, including a 3-2-0-0 record on their stateside road swing.

Red Deer returns home for one game on Feb. 17 against the B.C. Division-leading Kamloops Blazers who are 33-10-4-2 with 72 points. Puck drop from the Peavey Mart Centrium is at 7 p.m. with the broadcast live on 106.7 REWIND Radio starting at 6:30.

Upcoming schedule:

Feb. 18 – @ Medicine Hat
Feb. 20 – vs. Medicine Hat
Feb. 24 – vs. Winnipeg
Feb. 25 – vs. Kelowna