(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

FINAL PRE-SEASON HOME GAME

Rebels edge Tigers 2-1

Sep 13, 2024 | 10:00 PM

The Red Deer Rebels finished their second last pre-season game with a 2-1 win at the Peavey Mart Centrium on Sept. 13.

One of the few highlights of the first period was a breakaway save by Rhett Stoesser.

The frame ended with neither team able to land a goal, but the Tigers outshot the Rebels 10-4.

The Rebels pushed harder in the second period, getting 12 more shots on goal in the first 10 minutes, but slowed down when Medicine Hat gained a two-man advantage with less than five minutes left.

Then an unassisted wrist shot from the face-off circle by Liam Ruck sent the Tigers into a 1-0 lead at 17:37. It was his first goal of the pre-season.

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Medicine Hat also continued to lead 24-19 on the shot clock by the end of the middle frame.

The Rebels quickly tied the game 1-1 though with an unassisted short-handed goal by Jhett Larson only 49 seconds into the third period.

Carson Birnie then finished his charging penalty from near the end of the second period and returned to the ice quickly to secure a 2-1 lead at 2:08, scoring his first goal of the pre-season unassisted.

Later in the period, the Tigers pulled their goalie in the last two minutes of the game for a one-man advantage, but were unable to score, resulting in a 2-1 final.

Rebels head coach Dave Struch felt his team’s goaltending made the difference.

“Stoesser played really good for us, he gave us a chance right at the end and I think we took advantage of that,” he said. “I think that we might have seen a young team across the way, but that young team across the way was very well coached and they’re good players. It’s something we’ve addressed already and we’re going to move on. Yes, we’ll enjoy the win, but we won’t really enjoy the way we played.”

The game finished with the Tigers outshooting the Rebels 38-25.

On special teams, each team went 0/5 on the power play.

The Rebels now head into their final pre-season game in Morinville against the Edmonton Oil Kings with a 2-1 record. Game time is 4 p.m. on Sept. 14.

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