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5-2 setback

Rebels lose on the road in Kamloops to remain winless in B.C.

Jan 28, 2026 | 10:54 PM

The Red Deer Rebels’ recent struggles continued on Wednesday in a 5-2 loss to the Kamloops Blazers.

It marked their third loss as they reached the halfway point of their six-game road trip through B.C., and their fourth straight setback, which began with a home loss to the Calgary Hitmen on Jan. 23.

The Rebels were outshot 39-20 by their opponents and were held scoreless on just one power play opportunity.

Meantime, netminder Matthew Kondro made 34 saves for the Rebels.

The Blazers got on the board first, nearly three and a half minutes into the game. Red Deer product Cooper Moore completed a fantastic passing play that found his stick from the left side of the net, assisted by Harrison Brunicke and Ty Coupland.

In the second period, the Blazers jumped out to a 2-0 lead following a goal from Ty Bonkowski, 4:30 into the frame.

Red Deer got on the board with 12:18 left in the second off the stick of forward Owen DeWitt for his first Western Hockey League goal.

Just over a minute later, Kamloops made it 3-1 with a tally from Josh Evaschesen and at the midway point, Red Deer pulled back within one with a snipe from Patrick Sopiarz.

His fifth goal of the season was also his third in two games after he notched a pair against the Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday.

In the third period, the Blazers added two more to seal the deal, including one from Dryden Deobald and an empty-netter from Evaschesen.

Despite the recent skid, the Rebels remain tied for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 36 points.

Next up, the Rebels will face the Victoria Royals on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. Mountain time and on Sunday they’ll take on the Vancouver Giants at 5 p.m. They’ll then take on the Prince George Cougars at 8 p.m. on Tuesday before returning home.