Underdog Red Deer Rebels eye playoff upset

Head coach Marc Habscheid said the playoffs are the beginning of a new season, and they are hoping to dethrone the Raiders

“We’re not here to participate, we’re here to win, so that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said on Tuesday.

“They are a good team, they finished first in the conference and deservedly so. Having said that, we won a couple of games against them, and that’ll certainly give us believability. We can believe in ourselves, which we do, but we’re also smart enough to know they’re a really good team.”

The series officially begins on March 27 and Saturday, March 28, in Prince Albert at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

The series then shifts to Red Deer for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday, March 31 and Wednesday, April 1, at the Centrium at 7 p.m.

If necessary, Game 5 returns to Prince Albert on Friday, April 3, at 7 p.m., and Game 6 will be played in Red Deer on Sunday, April 5, at 4 p.m.

If there’s a Game 7, the two teams will settle the series at the Art Hauser Centre on Tuesday, April 7, at 7 p.m.

When it comes to regular-season head-to-head matchups this season, the Rebels and Raiders each have two wins, with the Rebels coming out on top in the most recent games in March.

Habscheid explained that the players are a tight-knit group who believe in each other. He said there’s a belief that they can win but also an element of respect for their opponents.

“We are an underdog, but sometimes that’s a good thing. The expectations are all on them, and that’s fine. That’s the way it should be; they’re first, and we’re eighth, but the playoffs are a new season, and our goal is to win the first shift of the first game,” Habscheid said, adding his team will be prepared ahead of Game 1.

Captain Talon Brigley said they’re excited to get back to the playoffs and added they feel good about how they’ve been playing.

“We feel good playing these guys, we’ve had some success with them this year, so looking forward to Game 1 on Friday,” Brigley said.

“We’re not expected to win, obviously. They’re the first seed and are ranked really high in the CHL. That doesn’t really matter to us. Once you’re in, you’re in. Nothing you did in the regular season matters anymore. We’re going to go in there, play our game and see what happens.”

The Rebels have yet to release their playoff roster, and when asked if 20-year-old forward Tyson Yaremko will return to the lineup, Habscheid said Rebels fans will have to wait and see.

Yaremko is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and has been out since March 3.

“We’ll see where he’s at come Friday,” the Rebels bench boss added.

Rookie forward Chace Turchak suited up in the final two regular-season games for the Rebels, and when asked if he’ll see the ice in the playoffs, Habscheid said he’s not sure. Turchak will be joined by other younger players who were called up from their respective teams to be around during the playoffs to gain valuable experience.

Goaltender Matthew Kondro started the majority of the games in net for the Rebels this year and will most likely be in the net for Game 1. However, Habscheid did not say who will start between Kondro and Peyton Shore.

All Rebels games can be listened to live on 106.7 Rewind Radio.

by Ian Gustafson

Underdog Red Deer Rebels eye playoff upset

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