By Troy Gillard (Twitter: @Troy_Gillard)

Rebels carrying confidence into road games this weekend

Oct 12, 2018 | 9:43 AM

You can’t really blame the Red Deer Rebels for being in a good mood these days.

After all, wouldn’t you be feeling fine after winning five games in a row, including one over a team that was previously undefeated?

“It’s obviously awesome around the rink. It’s always fun when you’re winning,” Rebels captain Reese Johnson admitted this week. “It’s a tight-knit group, which we need, and I think that’s big part of why we’re being successful. We just want to keep that up.”

Veteran players have sparked the early season success, but Johnson feels the team’s youngsters are doing their fair share as well.

“Our leadership has done a real good job to start the year and the younger guys are starting to catch on and pull their own weight, which is huge. The last few games, everyone’s been playing pretty well and that’s what we need.”

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Johnson’s game winning goal in last Saturday’s 4-3 upset of the Prince Albert Raiders had Rebels fans, and Johnson himself, buzzing with excitement.

“I just wanted to use my speed and I got around the d-man and was able to bury it. It was a big goal for us, obviously,” said the 20-year-old Saskatoon native about the play. “You want to score big goals in big games against good teams. It’s nice to be able to do it against a tough time like Prince Albert.”

Not lost on Johnson is the importance of a good start to the season to avoid falling behind the pack in what will likely be a year-long battle for a playoff spot in the Central Division.

The challenge this weekend will be to pick up two more wins against teams they defeated just last week.

“We just need to make sure that our compete level is up where it needs to be. We’ve talked about being competitive and courageous – which has been huge in our room, everyone’s been working at it.”

The Rebels hit the ice tonight in Saskatoon versus the Blades starting at 7 p.m. Saturday night they visit Prince Albert. Both games can be heard on 106.7 THE DRIVE.