(Rob Wallator)

By Kael Clark and Josh Hall

back in the win column

Rebels rebound to close out calendar year with impressive 6-2 victory

Dec 30, 2019 | 11:28 PM

The Red Deer Rebels played an outstanding 60-minute game on Monday, earning a 6-2 win over one of the West’s best in the Everett Silvertips. It couldn’t have come any sooner with the decade set to end and coming off two post-Christmas defeats to Edmonton.

The teams came out of the gate trading dangerous chances, but steady goaltending kept things scoreless. Before long though, the league’s second-best powerplay went to work, and at 9:01 of the opening period, Wyatte Wylie (9th) put the visitors up 1-0.

After starting the second period shorthanded, Everett doubled their lead at 11:53, Aidan Sutter scoring his first career WHL goal in his 26th game. He earned his first point just two nights ago in Kamloops, which is also his hometown.

Only 1:08 later, Red Deer found paydirt, Chris Douglas (8th) cutting the lead in half to 2-1.

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Before the period wrapped, Josh Tarzwell extended his red-hot pace by tying things up at 2-2 with his team-leading 17th goal. For the Red Deer native, it was his ninth tally in 11 games, a stretch where he’s also added three assists.

Picking up where they left off, the Rebels pressured in the Silvertips’ zone to start the third. Chase Leslie (3rd), following up a blocked shot, snuck one through traffic and found twine to give Red Deer its first lead (3-2) of the evening just 3:37 in.

At the 9:00 mark, a funny hop off the glass landed on the stick of Keaton Sorensen, who put it into the gaping cage left open by goaltender Keegan Karki. For Sorensen, also a Red Deer boy, his third goal of the season made it 4-2 Rebels.

It was smooth sailing from there on out as Red Deer would pot two empty-netters, one from Brett Davis (9th) with 2:12 remaining, and the last by Sorensen for his second of the night.

Byron Fancy (8-9-0-1) was named the game’s first star after stopping 31 of 33 shots. Sorensen earned second star for his three point (2G, 1A) performance, and Davis got the third star nod with a 1G, 2A, +5 output.

Karki (8-1-1-0) was solid for Everett (25-8-2-0), stopping 32 of 36 shots faced in what was his first career WHL regulation loss.

Red Deer (13-19-0-3) now awaits a Friday night tilt at home against Saskatoon (17-15-1-2). The Rebels sit 10 and six points back of Calgary and Brandon, respectively, for the two Eastern Conference wild card spots. Puck drop Friday is at 7 p.m. from the Westerner Park Centrium, with the Bo’s Bar and Stage Pre-Game Show set for 6:30 on 106.7 The Drive.