(Red Deer Rebels/Taylor Lachance)

By Ian Gustafson

Big win

Rebels take down Hurricanes for first win of the season

Sep 27, 2025 | 9:37 PM

They say the best way to overcome a Hurricane is preparation.

And the Red Deer Rebels did just that with a whole team effort in a 4-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday night.

In front of 3,267 fans at the Centrium, the Rebels had eight players record a point including goals from Talon Brigley, Matthew Gard, Owen Shadrick, and Ty Coupland.

Head coach Marc Habscheid said his team wasn’t perfect but liked their effort and “togetherness” in their first victory of the season.

“I loved how they stayed with it. The penalties were up a bit but I’m not going to nitpick. It’s the first win of the year and we’re happy with that,” he said.

Dec. 10

RDP holds pinning ceremony for graduating nursing students

6h ago

get in the car!

Maps for 2025 Red Deer Christmas Lights tour

9h ago

predictable taxation

Chamber calls Red Deer County's draft budget 'disciplined'

9h ago

The victory comes a week after Red Deer dropped their first two games of the season. However, they received a big boost this week with the return of four veteran players from their respective NHL training camps.

Wutzke was 16 saves on 18 shots and Gard found the back of the net late in the game.

The impact of Jaxon Fuder, Matthew Gard, Jaxon Fuder, and Chase Wutzke was certainly felt.

“Obviously, they’re very good players. The coach got a lot smarter in one day… They add to our group but they’re getting used to things too with new coaches, structure, and new teammates,” Habscheid added. “We’re a work in progress, we understand that, but these guys worked hard and I was hoping for them to get rewarded because they needed a win tonight.”

Rebels got on the board first just over six minutes into the opening frame. Defenceman Keith McInnis pounced on the puck along the boards and fed an open Ty Coupland, who ripped a shot from the left circle that beat the goalie in the top right corner of the net.

They extended their lead with 7:22 left in the first period. On the offensive rush, rookie forward Noah Milford slid a pass through the crease from the backhand to fellow rookie Owen Shadrick, who scored his first Western Hockey League goal.

However, late in the period, the Hurricanes put a damper on things. Lethbridge cut the lead in half after a shot from Luke Cozens redirected off a skate and past goaltender Chase Wutzke.

The Hurricanes found the equalizer with 13:52 remaining in the second period off the stick of forward Shane Smith while on the powerplay. He threw the puck on net from the blue line that made it through traffic before reaching the back of the net.

In the third period, the Rebels responded less than four minutes in. Forward Talon Brigley intercepted a pass in front of the Hurricanes net and immediately snapped a shot past the goaltender to give his team the edge.

The Hurricanes pulled their goalie late in the game in hopes of finding the tying goal but forward Matthew Gard potted his first of the year for an empty-net goal.

Brigley said postgame that the victory was a great team win adding everyone made an impact throughout the lineup.

“I think everyone bought in today and it’s obviously nice to have those guys back. They gave a big spark for us but everyone was going tonight, the bottom six, the top six, and every D-pairing. Wutzke was unbelievable too so it was a great win,” Brigley said.

The 20-year-old from Sylvan Lake said it was nice to find the back of the net but gave credit to Gard, who had to fight off former Rebels defenceman Matteo Fabrizi for the puck along the boards.

“He did a good job and [the puck] just came out, found a hole, and found the back of the net. I couldn’t have done it without Gardsy,” he added.

The Rebels will now look to build off the victory next week when they head on a brief road trip through Saskatchewan. They’ll take on the Saskatoon Blades on Friday, Oct. 3 followed by the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday, Oct. 4.

They’ll then return home on Tuesday, Oct. 7 in a rematch with the Hurricanes.

“Going into this week of practice I felt like there was a lot of learning… It only takes one win and it can boost a locker room for sure,” Brigley said.