(Red Deer Rebels)

By Ian Gustafson

Back and forth

Saskatoon Blades topple Rebels in 6-5 thriller

Nov 15, 2025 | 9:35 PM

The Red Deer Rebels appeared to tie the game at six with 1:35 left to play in an exciting matchup with the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday night.

It was hard to tell who exactly knocked the puck in, but the Rebels were sure the puck crossed the line as they celebrated the goal.

The WHL, however, wasn’t as sure and ruled it a no-goal following a lengthy review process at the Centrium.

The ruling wasn’t well received by the 4,736 fans in attendance, who booed the officiating crew.

Red Deer gave it their all and fought until the last second, but were unable to buy another goal and as a result, fell 6-5 to the Blades.

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Head coach Marc Habscheid said from their vantage point, it looked like the puck crossed the line.

“Obviously, they saw it differently, so it’s the way it is,” he said. “They just didn’t think it crossed the line.”

The overall effort from the Rebels came in spurts, according to Habscheid. His team trailed the Blades 33-23 in shots but managed to score two power-play goals on three opportunities. On the flip side, the Blades also took advantage of their chances on the man advantage with three goals on four power plays.

“They were way quicker than us early in the game. They beat us to pucks, and as the game went on, it came in spurts, but we hung in there. That’s what I liked. They showed some good character in battling back, and they kept fighting until the end. We didn’t get a point, that was disappointing for sure, but they kept battling.”

That resiliency was led by forward Jaxon Fuder, who had a hat trick and an assist. Two of his three goals came late in the third period.

Forward Samuel Drancak also extended his goal streak to seven games after completing a two-point night.

“[Drancak] is a responsible player, he’s a good two-way player, good teammate, and good leader in the room. He’s done a lot of good things for us. He adds a lot to our group, and he’s on a bit of a roll, so good for him. He deserves it,” Habscheid added.

The Blades opened the scoring in the first period. With 14:13 left to go, Blades forward Cooper Williams gathered the puck after it was misplayed by a Rebels defenceman. The costly mistake gave Williams a breakaway opportunity, and he made no mistake.

Drancak found the equalizer nearly five minutes later, which extended his goal streak to seven games. He notched his ninth tally of the 2025-26 campaign when he fired a shot on net shortly after entering the offensive zone with speed.

However, with less than eight minutes left in the opening period, Williams restored the Blades’ lead with a power play goal. His second of the game came off a slap shot from just inside the blue line that beat Rebels netminder Matthew Kondro, who appeared to lose sight of the puck through multiple screens.

The Rebels tied the game again with 2:32 left in the first. Fuder scored his fifth of the season from the right side of the net on the power play following a setup pass from Drancak.

Saskatoon took a 3-2 lead with 13:46 left in the second period off the stick of Rowan Calvert on the power play. His 10th goal of the season came on a rebound opportunity in front of the net.

In the third period, the Blades added an insurance goal with 15:17 left in the game. Forward Dominik Petr powered in a one-timer from the right circle off the feed from defenceman Derek Thurston.

Red Deer didn’t go away quietly, though, as forward Beckett Hamilton brought his team within one of tying it two minutes after Saskatoon’s goal. Hamilton carried the puck into the offensive zone and toward the net before he stopped, spun around and fired a backhand shot past the goalie.

Red Deer followed that up at the midway point of the period when Fuder scored his second of the night to tie the game at four. His unassisted marker came on the power play with 10:04 remaining.

The back-and-forth game continued nearly three minutes later when the Blades took the lead for the fourth time of the night. Saskatoon showed off its passing skills by completing a nifty sequence on the power play that forward Hunter Laing finished.

Blades made it 6-4 with a tally from Kazden Mathies before Fuder added his third goal of the night off a one-timer, assisted by Matus Lisy.

Rebels netminder Matthew Kondro made 27 saves, meanwhile, Blades goalie Evan Gardner made 18 saves.

Next up, the Rebels will host the Medicine Hat Tigers next Friday, Nov. 21 at the Centrium at 7 p.m.

“It’s a process. We’re not there yet, but we’re getting there,” Habscheid added. “We like how the guys are progressing and gelling as a group. We’re playing a pretty good team game but we have a long ways to go yet.”