Rebels beat Warriors to snap 13-game losing skid

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“It feels great, there’s great energy in the room right now,” Larson said postgame. “I think we needed it. It’s been a long time since the guys have felt this way.”

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With 8:52 left in the opening period, Larson scored in his first game back after he broke his arm on Nov. 29. He fired a shot into the open net to complete a nice passing play that found him in alone on the left side of the net.

“It was nervewracking. I don’t think I’ve been out that long in my career so I kind of felt like a rookie again,” he said. “But it was such great support from the fans here.”

His fifth goal of the 2024-25 campaign not only gave them an early lead but seemed to ignite a struggling offence.

He followed that up with an assist on a powerplay goal five minutes later. After the Warriors goalie made a save on Larson’s one-timer from the slot, Matthew Gard was there to knock in the rebound in the crease.

“I’ve been skating quite a bit with my pads on and stuff so I was in pretty good shape and that helped a lot. It was just getting used to my wrist with mobility and it felt good,” he added.

Assistant coach Clayton Beddoes said Larson’s effort was the boost they needed.

“It was pretty clear and on the bench you could see it right away. Even when we announced our starting lineup in the locker room the guys were very excited to have him there,” Beddoes said.

“He brought a lot of life to us on the bench, on the ice, he’s a great leader for us, and a very important part of our team.”

And with two second left in the opening frame, Brett Calhoon tapped in a loose puck in the crease to give Red Deer a 3-0 lead.

The officials did review the goal and after a lengthy look, they ruled it a good goal.

Both teams were held scoreless in the second period despite plenty of high quality scoring chances. At one point forward Jaxon Fuder brought the crowd to its feet following a spirited fight with Brady Ness.

However, following the fight he headed to the dressing room and did not return. Jace Weir had also left the game after falling head first into the boards. Beddoes did not have an update on either of them.

Heading into the game the Rebels were already without Kalan Lind (day-to-day) and Ollie Josephson (day-to-day).

In the third period, defenceman Derek Thurston put Red Deer up by four with a blast from the blue line nearly seven minutes into the final frame. Thurston was set up for the slap shot after rookie forward Beckett Hamilton fed him from the other end of the blue line.

Hamilton scored his own goal just a few minutes later. With approximately eight and a half minutes left in the game, he jumped on the rebound on the left side of the net after a shot from Nolan Schmidt.

Beddoes added they’re going to enjoy the win but explained it’s important to not get to ahead of themselves.

“It’s just such a good feeling to have. It’s been a while but what really felt good though was going out and seeing the numbers we had in the stands,” he said.

“To have an above average attendance after we’ve lost so many games really I think inspired all of us to stick with it. It was a big help tonight.”

Red Deer won’t have much time to ponder on the victory as they head to Calgary on Sunday for a matchup with the Hitmen at 6 p.m.

“I think tomorrow we won’t be as tired as we would be had we lost. I think we’re going to have a renewed energy even though we’re playing three games in three nights,” he said.

“To come out and perform like we did tonight as a team in front of our fans, that was a really special night. I think it’s going to carry over into tomorrow.”