The Red Deer Rebels play against the Tri-City Americans at the Peavey Mart Centrium on Friday night. (Red Deer Rebels/Taylor Lachance)

By Alessia Proietti

Returning after four years

Rebels send Americans back south with a shiver and a 3-1 loss

Jan 12, 2024 | 10:32 PM

The Red Deer Rebels welcomed another team from the United States, the Tri-City Americans, for the first time in almost four years to the Peavey Mart Centrium on Friday night, and sent them packing with a 3-1 loss.

It was also the Rebels’ third of five consecutive home games, with all three ending in wins for the team.

The Rebels began the first period on the right foot, scoring within the first 29 seconds. Carson Birnie picked up the puck from a rebound off the net and scored his eighth goal this season in a wraparound on Americans goaltender Lukas Matecha. Assisted by Samuel Drancak and Dwayne Jean Jr., the Rebels were now 1-0.

The home team doubled their lead by the end at 18:18 when Talon Brigley, in an attempt to stop at the top of the paint, unintentionally rebounded a goal with his skate from a rebound off the goaltender. After much review, his 11^th goal this season stood, with Kalan Lind and Elias Carmichael getting the helpers. The Rebels were up 2-0.

After 20 minutes of play, Red Deer was outshooting Tri-City 19-7.

Last seen Nov. 28

Missing: Jimmy Eagle, 27, of Maskwacis

Dec 14, 2025

the situation is dire

Two deaths, possibly from cold exposure, raise alarm amid Red Deer shelter situation and plight of homeless community

Dec 12, 2025

Lace-'Em Up!

Red Deer's outdoor rinks returning for another season

Dec 12, 2025

In the second period, the Americans’ Deagan McMillian cut their deficit to 2-1 when he scored a goal on Rebels netminder Chase Wutzke at 7:23.

But with Tri-City’s Merrek Arprin sitting in the box for a hooking penalty, Red Deer’s Mats Lindgren pushed his team’s lead to 3-1 when he scored his fifth goal of the season with a blast from the blue line. At 15:43, Kai Uchacz and Lind claimed the assists for the power play goal.

Red Deer’s Uchacz almost doubled the lead near the end of the period; however, the goal was disallowed as he knocked over Tri-City goaltender Matecha during his wraparound.

The netminder later had to be removed from the ice with 45 seconds left in regulation when the Americans’ Lukas Dragicevic bodychecked a Rebels player into Matecha while he was blocking the left side of the goal cage. Knocking his head off the side of the post, the team replaced him with netminder Armaan Kaila.

The Rebels outshot the Americans 19-7 again in the middle frame.

In the final period, while the Americans had two power play opportunities and pulled out their goaltender for the last two minutes, it was not enough to score against the Rebels.

The Rebels once again outshot the Americans 11-5 in the third period.

Shots on goal

RD: 49

TC: 19

Power play

RD: 1/4

TC: 0/3

Three stars

1^st: Mats Lindgren (RD) – 1G

2^nd: Kalan Lind (RD) – 2A

3^rd: Kai Uchacz (RD) – 1A

The win puts the Rebels in third place in the Central Division with a record of 21-13-1-4 while the Americans sit in fourth place of the U.S. Division at 16-20-2-1.

Rebels Coach Derrick Walser shared his satisfaction with the team’s performance, after taking a playful crack at his astonishment with Red Deer’s -40C temperatures Friday night.

“I really appreciate the people that came out tonight. I know it’s the coldest day I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said, having previously coached for the Peterborough Petes in Ontario. “We played for 60 minutes and that was the challenge tonight. We wanted to play a complete game and we did a real good job with our puck placement, we had a good dump, so we could create our forecheck. I thought everyone contributed something tonight and it was real special.”

With the Rebels having outshot the Americans by almost two and a half times (49-19), Walser said firing shots was part of their strategy.

“Sometimes when you’re struggling to score, you’re trying to walk the puck in the net and we talked about just jamming it,” he said, using their first goal by Birnie as an example. “You have to learn to score ugly sometimes; it can’t always be pretty and that’s our main focus is just trying to generate those shots.”

Walser said he watched the Americans play Edmonton on Thursday and knew tonight’s game was going to be an aggressive one.

“They [Tri-City] finish shifts, they compete, they never quit last night and that was the message again. It’s a good match-up for us; it’s a good game because they’re going to push us,” he said.

First-star player Lindgren said getting a high volume of shots to the net was a big part of the game, especially for their defense.

“When you get pucks to the net like we did over there, good things happen. Classic quote but it’s true,” he said.

“We never let off the gas pedal and we played great as a team. I think we stuck to our systems and what happened tonight is what you get when we play our way.”

He added that their mindset is to now refocus for tomorrow night’s game against the Edmonton Oil Kings. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. at the Peavey Mart Centrium with the broadcast live on 106.7 REWIND radio at 6:30 p.m.