Rebels double Wheat Kings 6-3

Shortly after, Brandon’s Quinn Mantei was given a cross checking penalty, giving the Rebels another man advantage. The Rebels’ Ben King seized the opportunity again, scoring back-to-back goals with a slap shot from the top of the faceoff circle. At 8:26, the power play goal, and King’s 16^th of the season, was assisted by Mats Lindgren and Kai Uchacz, putting the Rebels in a 2-0 lead.

Less than a minute later, Red Deer’s Mats Lindgren scored his 10^th goal this season, firing from the point. With the help of Talon Brigley and Hunter Mayo, the Rebels were leading 3-0.

And it wasn’t over. Both teams were one man down when the Rebels’ Jhett Larson was given a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and the Wheat Kings’ Nate Danielson was given a slashing penalty. Red Deer’s Jayden Grubbe, however, still managed to score his 15^th goal this season on a rebound just outside the crease at 16:40. With Mats Lindgren claiming the assist, the Rebels were in a 4-0 lead.

At the end of the second period, the Rebels outshot the Wheat Kings 19-7 and the home team pulled out goaltender Nicholas Jones, replacing him with Ethan Eskit.

In the final period, the Rebels’ Jhett Larson was sent to the box early with a tripping penalty. This time, the Wheat Kings’ Nate Danielson scored his 30^th goal this season on Rebels netminder Chase Wutzke. At 4:25, the power play goal was assisted by Dawson Pasternak and Nolan Ritchie, putting the team on the scoreboard behind the Rebels 4-1.

At 11:45, Brandon’s Rylen Roersma scored his 16^th goal of the season, with the help of Ben Thornton and Quinn Mantei. The home team cut the deficit in half, 4-2 behind the Rebels.

Then, although Wheat Kings’ goaltender Ethan Eskit saved a shot, the puck slipped out of his glove, leaving an opportunity for the Rebels’ Jace Isley to score his 28^th goal this season on a rebound. With the help of Hunter Mayo and Ollie Josephson, the Rebels pushed their lead to 5-2 at 16:02.

With Red Deer’s Matteo Fabrizi earning a roughing penalty soon after, the Wheat Kings’ Nolan Flamand quickly scored his ninth goal of the season at 17:29 on the power play. Assisted by Nolan Ritchie and Nate Danielson, Brandon now trailed the Rebels 5-3.

However, Red Deer’s Kai Uchacz scored 20 seconds later on an empty net when the Wheat Kings pulled out goaltender Ethan Eskit. His 45^th goal of the season was assisted by Mats Lindgren and Jhett Larson, earning their team a 6-3 win.

While the Wheat Kings slightly outshot the Rebels in the third period (15-13), the Rebels outshot the Wheat Kings overall (39-34).

The Rebels went 2/4 on the power play while the Wheat Kings went 2/6 with the man advantage.

Brandon’s Nate Danielson, a Red Deer native, was awarded the third star of the evening for his goal and assist. The Rebels earned the remaining stars of the game, with Mats Lindgren receiving the second star for his goal and four assists. Ben King who had two goals on the night, was given the first star.

The win keeps the Rebels in first place of the Central Division with a record of 39-17-1-3 while the loss puts the Wheat Kings in fifth place in the East Division at 23-27-8-0.

The Rebels now head to the Brandt Centre in the Queen City for their final road game of this eastern road trip, this Saturday against the Regina Pats. Face-off is at 6 p.m. MST with the broadcast live on 106.7 REWIND Radio.

by Alessia Proietti

Rebels double Wheat Kings 6-3

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