(Image Credit: Keith Hershmiller/Regina Pats)

By Ian Gustafson

5-2 road loss

Pats edge Rebels to jump into eighth place in the Eastern Conference

Jan 9, 2026 | 9:04 PM

The Red Deer Rebels entered Friday night’s matchup with the Regina Pats just one point ahead of their opponent for eighth in the Eastern Conference.

It was a crucial matchup in the race for the playoffs, and ultimately the Pats came out on top in a 5-2 victory over the Rebels at the Brandt Centre.

This means the Pats overtook the Rebels for eighth in the Eastern Conference with 29 points to move into a playoff spot. The Rebels have 28 points with 31 games left in the regular season.

Regina’s Matt Paranych scored twice, along with Red Deer’s Beckett Hamilton, who also scored a pair. Meantime, both squads notched one power play goal each.

Furthermore, netminder Peyton Shore made 24 saves on 28 shots for the Rebels, and Marek Schlenker stopped 28 of 30 shots.

Last seen March 31

Missing: Eugenie Headman, 66, of Maskwacis

Apr 04, 2026

mayor hopes to meet housing minister this month

Alberta demands Ottawa back off on housing funding stripped from Red Deer

Apr 02, 2026

Last seen Jan. 15

Missing: Courtney Cattleman, 17, of Maskwacis

Apr 02, 2026

Following the opening 20 minutes, the Regina Pats led 2-0 with goals from Matt Paranych and Ruslan Karimov.

Paranych’s goal came at the midway point of the period when he beat the goalie in the top corner while cutting toward the net on the left side of the ice.

Just 49 seconds later, Karimov extended the Pats’ lead with a golden opportunity in front of the net, assisted by Zachary Lansard.

In the second period, the Pats took a 3-0 lead with a goal from 15-year-old Liam Pue, however, 27 seconds later, Rebels forward Beckett Hamilton got Red Deer on the board.

Hamilton notched his 11th goal of the year just 6:15 into the frame to pull within two of tying it with a fantastic shot that went bardown off the feed from Cole Temple.

Hamilton sends this one home. #RDREBELS #WHL https://t.co/Z0jx32awkW

— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) January 10, 2026

Paranych potted his second of the night for the Pats while on the power play with just under eight minutes to go in the second period.

Hamilton, however, answered the call once again and scored a power play marker with 5:11 on the clock in the middle frame. His tally came with just one second left on the man advantage off a shot near the blue line.

Cash it in 🫰🫰#RDREBELS #WHL https://t.co/9UcA3LQ9t4

— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) January 10, 2026

In the third period, Red Deer pulled the goalie in the final two minutes but couldn’t find a goal. Instead, Regina scored an empty net goal in the final seconds to secure the victory.

Next up for the Rebels, they’ll head to Swift Current on Saturday to take on the Broncos at 6 p.m.