The Red Deer Rebels had some new faces in the dressing room before their game against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Jan. 12th.
Following trades that sent away Rebels veterans Austin Pratt and Brandon Shuldhaus, the Rebels had a younger squad that was eager to impress their new coach Brent Sutter. Unfortunately for the home squad, the Rebels would go on to lose their 10th game in a row 6-4.
New Rebels defenceman Colin Paradis, who the Rebels acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors, would waste no time finding the back of the net for the Rebels when he scored with just under 30 seconds into the game.
Lethbridge would have a quick answer two and half minutes later when Jordy Bellerive scored his 25th goal of the year for the Hurricanes.
The rest of the period would be all Red Deer with Rebels Captain Grayson Pawlenchuk and Reece Johnson scoring with under three minutes left in the period.
The period was slightly delayed after Rebel River Fahey caught a Hurricane elbow and looked dazed skating off the ice.
Despite the scary moment, the Rebels would head into the second period with a confident 3-1 lead.
“We were a 20 minute team tonight unfortunately,” Sutter said. “We played well in the first and then in the second, we stopped moving our feet. It is tough to make plays when you are standing still.”
Lethbridge would draw first blood in the second when Brad Morrison notched his 14th of the season on the power-play with just under 12 minutes played in the period.
The Hurricanes would keep finding ways to score on the power-play, when Taylor Ross banged home a rebound to tie the game 3-3 with just over three minutes left in the period.
The game would head into the final period tied 3-3 with the momentum all in Lethbridge’s favour.
“We took four minor penalties in the second and put them in the game,” Sutter said. “They are bad penalties. They are penalties where you are not moving your feet and standing.”
The Rebels were looking for a boost in the third period but hope would be vanquished nine minutes into the period when Hurricane Logan Bariage slipped one past Rebels netminder Riley Lamb for his second of the season.
Bariage would continue his hot period when he scored his second of the game with 7:58 left in the game, putting Lethbridge up 5-3.
Red Deer would show life with just under seven remaining when Mason McCarty scored his 21st of the season, putting the Rebels to within one goal.
Lethbridge would, however, put the game away on an empty net goal after Dylan Cozens out-skated Alexander Alexeyev for the loose puck, putting the game to its final score of 6-4.
“I thought tonight with a lot of guys after the first period, the details weren’t good at all,” Sutter said.
The Rebels have only one win in their last 20 games and sit at 10-22-7-3, good for last place in the Central Division. The Rebels will look to right the ship against the Saskatoon Blades tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Enmax Centrium.
todd.vaughan@reddeerexpress.com
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