(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

calm before the storm

Rebels’ focus is on the moment, but revenge for past playoff defeat motivation ahead of Saskatoon series

Apr 11, 2024 | 2:00 PM

The Red Deer Rebels are relishing their opportunity to exact a measure of revenge when they battle the Saskatoon Blades in the second round of the WHL Playoffs, starting Friday, April 12.

It was one year ago when the Rebels took a 3-0 second round lead over the Blades, before falling victim to the ultra-rare reverse sweep, losing four straight.

The moment was one many veteran Rebels haven’t forgotten, but the team is focused on the task at hand — sticking to their game and finding a way to beat the team that not only finished atop the entire Western Hockey League, but 30 points ahead of them this regular season.

“Coming into training camp, that was in the back of our minds and something we’ve talked about. It’s definitely something that for the guys who are returning, we want back, and this is our second chance for a little revenge,” Captain Kai Uchacz, who had two goals and three assists in the opening round versus Medicine Hat, said Wednesday.

“We are going in [to this series] with the exact same mindset and game plan [as we had against the Tigers]. It’s very important, and this is something we talked about after round one, that we are starting on time and how that really translates to a full 60 each night.”

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Against the Tigers, Red Deer had to overcome being outscored 6-4 in the opening 20 minutes, including four goals against in the opening 10.

It was game one when Red Deer came back from a 4-0 deficit to win in double overtime, and lost game two after going down 3-0, which included a goal against just 21 seconds in. They also gave up the icebreaker in game three.

Rebels netminder Chase Wutzke has been stellar this season, and led the Rebels to a 4-1 opening round victory over Medicine Hat. He also had a 36-save shutout over the Blades in February. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“Saskatoon is a great team, but we’re very skilled and I have to take it one shot at a time,” says netminder Chase Wutzke, who is from Debden, a couple hours north of Saskatoon.

“We’ve had success because we’ve been playing the right way.”

In the five games versus Medicine Hat, Wutzke went 4-1 with a 2.59 GAA and .922 SV%.

Wutzke, who agrees it’ll be a mental boost playing in front of family and friends, was also in net for the Rebels when they won a second straight time over Saskatoon on Feb. 27, making 36 saves in a 5-0 shutout.

That was the second win for Red Deer against Saskatoon after the Jan. 10 WHL trade deadline, making Red Deer the only team to beat the Blades multiple times after that date.

Interim Head Coach Dave Struch acknowledges that beating one of Canada’s top teams, and one older than the Tigers, will obviously be challenging.

“We’ll use our experience from last year; there’s something to be said about using that to help us. Our preparation this week is a lot of focus on our game and what we learned from the first round. It wasn’t the perfect series for us. We need to take the adversities we went through and use them,” says Struch, who’s 3-4-1-0 since taking over March 2.

“I’ve had a chance to watch both games [we won against Saskatoon] and they show that our team played really well. We can use that, but in the end, our focus is on our game and playing the right way. We’re slowly coming into our own … we really need to get off to a good start this weekend.”

Rebels Interim Head Coach Dave Struch says the team can use last season’s playoff letdown as motivation to beat the league’s top team now. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

Struch himself is a former Saskatoon Blade; from 1988-1992, he scored 285 points in 253 regular season games, playing in the 1989 Memorial Cup. He also served as the team’s assistant coach from 2006-2013 and became head coach for 2013-2014.

“We know Saskatoon is going to use [last year’s series] to their advantage as well, so we have to be ready for that. We have older guys who’ve taken ownership of that leadership role, and even younger guys with smaller roles,” he says.

“We’re the underdog for sure; I hope we understand where we are in the standings … Saskatoon was first for a reason. Top to bottom, they’ve got a great group, but we’ve grown a lot the last little while, and continue to do that day-to-day in practice. Hopefully we can provide something to that end on Friday.”

The season series went like this…

October 21 @ Red Deer – Blades win 2-1 – GAME RECAP

December 8 @ Saskatoon – Blades win 4-2 – GAME RECAP

January 17 @ Red Deer – Rebels win 5-4 – GAME RECAP

February 27 @ Saskatoon – Rebels win 5-0 – GAME RECAP

Rebels power play: 3/10

Blades power play: 3/13

This postseason, Saskatoon’s power play is 6/24 (25%), while Red Deer sits at 5/22 (22.7%).

Easton Armstrong leads the Blades in scoring with five goals and three assists, while Trevor Wong has two goals and five assists and Egor Sidorov has four and two.

For Red Deer, Kalan Lind leads the way with two goals and four assists, while Carson Latimer has four and one, and Kai Uchacz has two and three. Lind’s two game-winners is tied with three others for the most these playoffs.

Series schedule (all games can be heard live on 106.7 REWIND Radio)

Game 1 Friday, April 12 Red Deer @ Saskatoon 7:00 p.m.

Game 2 Sunday, April 14 Red Deer @ Saskatoon 4:00 p.m.

Game 3 Tuesday, April 16 Saskatoon @ Red Deer 7:00 p.m.

Game 4 Wednesday, April 17 Saskatoon @ Red Deer 7:00 p.m.

Game 5* Friday, April 19 Red Deer @ Saskatoon 7:00 p.m.

Game 6* Sunday, April 21 Saskatoon @ Saskatoon 2:00 p.m.

Game 7* Tuesday, April 23 Red Deer @ Saskatoon 7:00 p.m.

*- If necessary

READ MORE

• Rebels close playoff series with 5-2 win against the Tigers; set to face Blades in round two

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