Red Deer Rebels  39-26-5-2  4th Eastern Conf

In the last 2 days I focused on the Prince Albert Raiders. Now it's time to turn our attention to the Red Deer Rebels. I'll first take a look at team stats from this past regular season.

208GF = 2.89GFPG     204GA = 2.83GAPG

Taking a look at the Rebels last 10 games doesn't give a true meaning of how they played down the stretch as their were some meaningless games and they didn't dress a bunch of their stars for the last game of the season.

Last 10:  5-4-1     Winless in last 3 (0-2-1) but won 5 in a row prior to that.

The Rebels are a very good home team and have a decent road record as well.

Home:  22-11-2-1     Last 10 at Home:  8-2

Road:  17-15-3-1     Last 10 on the Road:  5-4-1

While the Rebels PP struggled their PK was top notch all season. I expect to see their PP improve in the Playoffs with skilled forward Jordan DePape added to the mix. DePape is a big body who can play in front of the net on the PP and brings tremendous skill to the team.

PP     17th  17%  45/264   4SHGA (T1st)

Home  19th  16.8%  24/143

Road  14th  17.4%  21/121

PK     4th  84%  49/306   11SHGF (T6th)

Home  7th  82.7%  22/123

Road  5th  85%  26/173

With Brent Sutter taking over early in the season you had to know that the Rebels would improve in terms of discipline and they definitely did just that.

PIMs Per Game   3rd   13 mins

Now to take a look at the Rebels Top Performers from this past season.

We will start with our Top Scorer Rhyse Dieno. There is so much to say about this kid! How could Medicine Hat give up on him? For him to start the year playing in the SJHL and end the season as the Rebels top Goal, Assist, and Point getter is unreal! Rhyse has an array of offensive weapons. From his great shot, to his deking, passing, and amazing stickhandling, this kid has it all. He showed a great knack for coming back defensively as the season wore on as well. Dieno played just 48 games and T47th in WHL scoring. He is 19 and a '93 born player.

Rhyse Dieno     48GP  27G 32A  59P  +17

Against Raiders:  3GP  2G 3A  5P  +1  1GWG

Next is an obvious choice and that's our Captain and great leader Turner Elson. Elson, sweats and bleeds Rebels colours. This guy has been so instrumental in what was a great season. Turner finished 2nd on the Rebels in Goals, Assists, and Points. He also led the team in +/-. He finished T53rd in WHL scoring. Turner in my opinion is the best 2 way forward in the WHL. Is there a better guy on the PK in the WHL? This is Turner's last season in the WHL and I know that it's his goal to bring a Memorial Cup back to Red Deer.

Turner Elson     64GP  26G 31A  57P  +26

Against Raiders:  3GP  1G 4A  5P  +2

Tyson Ness just fell short of his 2nd straight 20 goal season but definitely not for lack of trying. Tyson was on fire at the end of the season and a great time for the Rebels to have a key player get hot. He has scored 39 goals over the last 2 seasons. Ness is 19 and a '93 born player.

Tyson Ness     72GP  19G 20A  39P  -4

Against Raiders:  4GP  1G 3A  4P  +5

Brooks Maxwell has been a very important part of the Rebels success this past season. Brooks wasn't even suppose to be a Top 6 forward and he played most of the season as the Rebels #1 Centre. He possesses great speed and skill and has also been 1 of our best PK players. Maxwell is 18, soon to be 19, and is a '94 born player.

Brooks Maxwell     71GP  10G 29A  39P  +8

Against Raiders:  4GP  1G 1A  2P  Even

Joel Hamilton is coming off a scary injury to end last season. it was great to see him overcome this and play so well this season. Joel is the Rebels 2nd line Centre and a great 2 way, gritty forward. he possesses great leadership qualities and if Dumba doesn't return as Captain next season, many fans are already picking Hamilton as the future Captain. Joel is 18 years old and a '94 born player.

Joel Hamilton     70GP  9G 30A  39P  +1

Against Raiders:  4GP  0G 4A  4P  +1

Matt Bellerive was acquired from the Vancouver Giants at the start of the season and showed glimpes of great offensive skill and shot throughout the year. Matt was very dominant against PA this year, leading the Rebels with 6 points and a +5. Bellerive is 18 and a '94 born player.

Matt Bellerive     69GP  15G 21A  36P  -6

Against Raiders:  3GP  3G 3A  6P  +5

That was a look at our forwards, now to move on to our D.

It's only fitting that I start with the Rebels Dman of the year, Mathew Dumba. Dumba was a 2012 1st Round draft pick, 7th overall, of the Minnesota Wild. When Matt got suspended at the start of the year, it really changed his style of play. However, since Christmas and especially since returning from his time with the Wild, Dumba has been great to say the least. We have really begun to see the dominant style of play that he brings to the game. He finished 18th in WHL Dmen scoring. Matt is 18 and a '94 born player.

Mathew Dumba     62GP  16G 26A  42P  +10

Against the Rebels:  4GP  0G 3A  3P  +3

Brady Gaudet was an early season acquistion from the Kamloops Blazers and what a pick up Brady turned out to be. He became 1 of our best Dmen this season. Many fans actually picked Gaudet as our Top Dman of the season. Brady is 18, soon to be 19, and a '94 born player.

Brady Gaudet     65GP  5G 20A  25P  +11

with the Rebels:  53GP  5G 15A  20P  +4

Haydn Fleury is the Rebels Rookie of the Year. At 16 years old, Haydn possesses such composure at such a young age. He brings a tremendous skill set of size, speed, stickhandling, and shooting that is rare at such a high level for a 16 year old. I can't say enough about Haydn who has an amzing future ahead of him. Haydn is listed at 6'3 204lbs and will only get bigger and better.

Haydn Fleury     66GP  4G 15A  19P  +4

Against Raiders:  4GP  3G 1A  4P  +4

Last, but certainly not least, we move on to our Goaltender. Patrik Bartosak not only was awarded the Rebels MVP, he also was both 1st Team All-Star and Goalie of the Year for the Eastern Conference. Patrik came 2nd in Save %, 4th in GAA, 5th in Saves, T7th in Wins, T7th in SO, and 11th in minutes played. Bartosak is not only an elite goalie but a great all around humble kid who is always first to give credit back to his team play in front of him.

Patrik Bartosak     33-14-5  2.26 GAA  .935 Save %  5 SO

Against the Raiders:  2-1  2.32 GAA  .936 Save %

Other players to watch for are:

Jordan DePape I believe will have a HUGE playoffs for the Rebels. He scored 13P in 11 Playoff games last year. Jorfan is 20 so this is it for him. Same with Brandon Underwood. Watch for guys like Bleackley, Millette, Johnson, Volek and others to give us that secondary scoring so needed in the Playoffs.

Head to Head:   Red Deer Rebels  2-0-1-1

                    Prince Albert Raiders  2-2

The Home teams won all 4 games. However, PA needed OT and a SO in there 2 home wins.

This is the time of the year that the boys work so hard to get to. Everything they did to earn home ice and 4th spot in the Conference begins tonight. Red Deer should be hosting the Memorial Cup but instead the road to Saskatoon starts tonight. Are you ready!

Let's fill the centrium and bring lots of noise in support of our boys tonight.

LETS GO REBELS!!!

Thx to Paul Figler for providing the head to head stats

by

Jim McKay

   In today's focus on the Prince Albert Raiders, I'll be taking a look at the Raiders top performers from this past season. The guys who led them statistically and how they matched up against the Red Deer Rebels.

It's only fitting if I start off with their leader, Mark McNeill. McNeill was a 2011 1st Round draft pick, 18th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks. He was coming off of 2 straight 30+ goal seasons. Mark has tremendous size and grit at 6'2 210lbs and just turned 20 last month. Mark finished T35th in WHL scoring and played great against the Rebels this past season.

Mark McNeill     65GP  25G 42A  67P  +4

Against the Rebels:  4GP  3G 3A  6P  -1  1SOW

Next is the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Year, Leon Draisaitl. He has great size for his age at 6'1 198lbs and is just 17 years old. Draisaitl led the Raiders in +/- with a +22. He finished T48th in WHL scoring and T2nd in WHL rookie scoring.

Leon Draisaitl     64GP  21G 37A  58P  +22

Against the Rebels:  4GP  0G 2A  2P  +1

Anthony Bardaro is 1 of their leaders up front as he is now 21 years old and this is it for his WHL career. He stands 5'10 180lbs, and tied for team lead in Goals. Bardaro finished T53rd in WHL scoring.

Anthony Bardaro     70GP  25G 32A  57P  -12 

Against the Rebels:  4GP  1G 1A  2P  -1 

Dakota Conroy was picked up at the beginning of the season from the Royals after playing just 1 game for Victoria. He's 18 years old and listed at 6'1 190 lobs. He's 18 years old  and is a '94 born player. Dakota finished T57th in WHL scoring.

Dakota Conroy     68GP  21G 35A  56P  +11

Against the Rebels:  4GP  1G 1A  2P  -1

Mike Winther is a Central Alberta boy from Trochu. He's 19 years old and a '94 born player. Mike is listed at 6'0 181lbs. Winther was a 2012 2nd Round draft pick, 54th overall, by the Dallas Stars.

Mike Winther     68GP  22G 28A  50P  +15

Against the Rebels:  2GP  0G 1A  1P  -2

That was a look at their top forwards, now to look at their top Defencemen.

2013 NHL draft eligible and top prospect Josh Morrissey is coming off a great season. Josh finished 12th in WHL Dmen scoring. He is just 17 years old and is a '95 born player. Listed at 6'0 185 lbs, Josh has decent size for his age.

Josh Morrissey     70GP  15G 32A  47P  +14

Against the Rebels:  4GP  2G 0A  2P  -1  1GWG

Dylan Busenius came over from Medicine Hat near the trade deadline. While Busenius has racked up a lot of points, T18th in WHL Dmen scoring, his +/- has been a season to forget. Dylan recently turned 20, is a '93 born player, and is listed at 6'1 191 lbs. Last season, Dylan got into 8 playoff games with the Tigers, adding 3A and a -1,

Dylan Busenius     71GP  8G 34A  42P  -32

with PA                 34GP  2G 14A  16P  -10

Against the Rebels with PA:  2GP  0G 1A  1P  -1

Davis Vandane was acquired early in the season from Spokane, only getting 1 game in for the Chiefs. Davis is a big guy at 6'4 215lbs. He's in his final season in the WHL as he is 20 years old and a '92 born player. He has played in 30 playoff games over the last 2 seasons with the Chiefs. Therefore, he brings much experience to their back end while also pointing up points and finishing 26th in WHL Dmen scoring.

Davis Vandane     66GP  12G 25A  37P  +5

Against the Rebels:  2GP  1G 1A  2P  Even

Last, but certainly not least, is goaltender Luke Siemens. Luke is 20 years old and in his final season of his WHL career. Siemens has been a rock in net for PA even throughout their struggles. He appeared in 66 games for the Raiders and has some pretty impressive statistics to show off from this past season. He finished T2nd is SOs, 2nd in both minutes played and saves, 5th in wins, 10th in save %, and 14th in GAA. He also brings a wealth of experience and I'll first look at his career stats which includes the 12 playoff games he played in for Moose Jaw last season.

Career:  146GP  77-49-9-5  2.78 GAA  .911 Save %

Playoffs:  16GP  8-8  3.40 GAA  .882 Save %

2012/13:  35-21-3-3  2.89 GAA  .912 Save %

Against the Rebels:  2-2  3.80 GAA  .899 Save %

Special thx to Paul Figler for providing head to head stats

by

Jim McKay

 Prince Albert Raiders 37-28-3-4

   The Prince Albert Raider's are a team who had a 2nd half collapse, that coupled with a Saskatoon 2nd half surge, dropped them out of 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. The Raiders were on a 6 game losing streak heading into the final weekend of the season and it looked like they may even finish 6th. However, 2 wins over the powerhouse Saskatoon Blades on the final weekend of the regular season, guaranteed them a 5th place finish in the Eastern Conference, and a date with the Red Deer Rebels in the 1st Round of the WHL playoffs. Now to take a look at their team stats for the 2012/13 regular season.

The Raiders are a high scoring team but also allow a high number of goals against.

234 GF = 3.25 GF   10th in WHL

233 GA = 3.24 GA  12th in WHL                   

PA was really struggling heading into the final weekend of the season.

Last 10 Games: 4-5-1  won last 2 games but lost 6 straight prior to that.

While the Raiders have been a great home team, they finished below .500 on the road.

Home:  20-10-3-3     127GF = 3.53GFPG  106GA = 2.94GAPG

Last 10 at Home:  5-3-2

Road:  17-18-0-1     107GF = 2.97GAPG  127GA = 3.53GAPG 

Last 10 on Road:  2-7-0-1  

Special Teams play has not been a strength for the Raiders, especially their dreadful PP.

PP       22nd  15.4%  45/293   9SHGA

Home  21st  14.9%  22/148 

Road   20th  15.9%  23/145

PK       11th  80%  57/285   9SHGF

Home  13th  79.1%  28/131

Road    9th  80.8%  29/151

by

Jim McKay 

   It's Game Day Rebels fans! I apologize for missing my preview the last 2 games. Our very 1st Rebels Fan Truck trip to Cranbrook for the game against the Ice got in the way. Wow, what an awesome trip! Watch for the new episode of Rebel Nation Hotstove featuring this trip to Cranbrook. We hope to release the new episode tomorrow.

On to tonight's game. This is the 8th and final meeting between these divisional rivals. Playoff positioning is on the line as every game is a playoff game from here on for both teams. Let's look at the season series.

Head to Head:     Red Deer Rebels  4-2-1

                                Kootenay Ice   3-4

October 19th   Ice 2-1 OT win in Red Deer

October 21st   Rebels 3-2 win in Cranbrook

December 18th   Rebels 5-1 win in Red Deer

January 2nd   Ice 4-1 win in Cranbrook

January 6th    Ice 3-2 win in Cranbrook

January 31st   Rebels 6-2 win in Red Deer

March 1st   Rebels 4-1 win in Cranbrook

Top Performers

Ice

Jaedon Descheneau   3G 5A  8P

Sam Reinhart             3G 1A  4P

Luke Philp                 3G 1A  4P

Mackenzie Skapski   3-2  2.29 GAA  .914 Save%

Rebels

Rhyse Dieno              5G 4A  9P

Turner Elson              4G 4A  8P

Brooks Maxwell          1G 4A  5P

Matt Bellerive             3G 1A  4P

Patrik Bartosak  3-0-1  1.75 GAA  .933 Save %

 Kootenay Ice 33-30-2 68pts  8th Eastern Conference        

The Ice are coming off a 4-2 win on Saturday night over the Tigers. They have been a much better team in the 2nd half of the season and have skyrocketed up the standings. What looked like at 1 point a team that would finish dead last in the East, they now find themselves in 8th place and closing in on a playoff spot. The Ice started the year 10-24-1 and are 23-6-1 in their last 30 games.

Last 10:  7-3    

Road:  13-17-1     last 10 on the Road:  5-4-1

The Ice have not been good on Special Teams this season, especially on the road.

PP     16th  17.2%  52/294                  PK  16th  78%  49/223

Road  21st  14.8%  16/108              Road  20th  73.3%  27/101

Top Scorers:

Sam Reinhart, who is not NHL draft eligible until 2014, sits T23rd in WHL scoring. Jaedon Descheneau who has had much success this season against the Rebels sits T32nd. Brock Montgomery is tied for 2nd in the WHL with 17 PPGs.

Sam Reinhart            65GP  30G 42A  72P  +14

Jaedon Descheneau  62GP  22G 42A  64P  +14

Brock Montgomery   54GP  28G 14A  42P  +12 

Top Defencemen:

Joey Leach leads the team in +/- with a +22 and is the Ice all time franchise leader in +/- with a +96.

Jagger Dirk    65GP  3G 30A  33P  +1

Joey Leach     57GP  5G 23A  28P  +22

Top Rookie:    

Luke Philp    59GP  18G 19A  37P  +5

Goalies:  

Mackenzie Skapski set a franchise record on Friday night against the Rebels with his 58th appearance.

Mackenzie Skapski   32-21-1  2.66 GAA  .913 Save %

Wyatt Hoflin                1-9-1  3.71 GAA  .883 Save %

 Red Deer Rebels 36-24-4-2 78pts  4th Eastern Conference  

The Rebels are winners of 2 straight including a 3-0 win over the Broncos on Saturday night in which Patrik Bartosak made 52 saves for the SO and Turner Elson scored 2 goals. The night before, Bartosak led the way, stopping 22 of 23 shots for the win. Cory Millette scored 2 goals in just his 2nd game back from injury. Bartosak has stopped 74 of 75 shots in the Rebels last 2 games.

Last 10:  7-3

Home: 20-10-2-1     last 10 at Home:  7-2-1

The Rebels continue to have 1 of thee best PK's in the WHL but their PP continues to struggle. Once, the Rebels get their PP going, hopefully in time for the Playoffs, they will be that much better!

PP      20th  16.4%  39/238                  PK  3rd  85.1%  42/281

Home  20th  16.9%  22/130             Home  5th  83.8%  20/122

Top Scorers:        

Rebels Captain Turner Elson has regained the team scoring lead. he is also the Rebels leader in Assists and +/-. Rhyse Dieno is the only Rebel to average a Point Per Game or Higher, averaging 1.19.

Turner Elson     59GP  23G 30A  53P  +24

Rhyse Dieno      43GP  26G 25A  51P  +16

Joel Hamilton     64GP  9G 28A  37P  Even

Top Defencemen:      

Mathew Dumba   57GP  13G 24A  37P  +7

While playing for the Rebels, Brady Gaudet  48GP  4G 13A  17P  +2

Top Rookie:    

Haydn Fleury   60GP  4G 15A  19P  +4

Goalies:         

Patrik Bartosak in WHL Goalie rankings is 1st in Save %, 3rd in GAA, and T6th in Wins.

Patrik Bartosak   30-13-4  2.24 GAA  .935 Save %

Bolton Pouliot      5-9-0-2  3.52 GAA  .904 Save %

Both teams come into this game healthy. Expect Dominik Volek to get back into the lineup tonight. Not sure when Jordan DePape will make his Rebels debut but we are all very excited to see him play.

There are only 3 home games left so let's fill the centrium, be loud and proud, and get chants of LETS GO REBELS filling the Centrium! Let's cheer on our boys to victory!

by

Jim McKay

   It's Game Day Rebels fans as the Red Deer Rebels host the Saskatoon Blades tonight with puck drop scheduled for 7pm at the Enmax Centrium. It's a battle between 2 of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. One streak will come to an end tonight as the Blades bring their 15 game winning streak into Red Deer against the Rebels 6 game home winning streak.

Saskatoon Blades 38-21-0-3 79pts 2nd East. Conf.

   What has been very impressive about the Blades 15 game winning streak is how they have done it, outscoring their opponents 77-25, incredible stats! Saskatoon hasn't lost since a 4-2 home ice loss to the Oil Kings back on January 23rd. Yet, I read that the critics out there still question this streak as 8 of the 15 wins have come against teams out of the playoff picture.

Who's Hot for the Blades:

In the month of February, 13GP:

Andrey Makarov  13-0 1.84 GAA .944 Save %

Matej Stransky    13G 10A 23P  +18

Brendan Walker   11G 12A 23P +18

Darren Dietz         7G 12A 19P +22 and is Blades Player of the Week  3GP 3G 4A 7P

Michael Ferland     5G 14A 19P +17

 Red Deer Rebels 34-23-4-2 74pts  4th East. Conf.

The Red Deer Rebels may have had their 5 game winning streak come to an end in Medicine Hat on Sunday night but not without a battle. They battled back from down 5-2 to make it 5-4 but just fell short. Conner Bleackley's hard work and perserverance finally paid off as he ended his lengthy goaless drought with 2 goals. They still bring a 6 game home winning streak into this one and are 9-2-1 over last 12 games. This is their 4th game in the last 5 nights, so let's hope the day off yesterday re-energized the boys!

Who's Hot for the Rebels:

Rhyse Dieno had his 11 Game Point Streak come to an end on Sunday but he still has 11G 11A 22P in last 12GP

Turner Elson has 12P in last 11GP

Mathew Dumba has 10P in 9GP in month of February

Head to Head Meetings:

The Red Deer Rebels have owned the Saskatoon Blades thus far this season winning all 3 games and outscoring the Blades 11-4. Let's now look at the season series.

Wednesday, October 3rd:  5-3 Rebels win in Saskatoon

Saturday, December 1st:   3-0 Rebels win in Red Deer

Friday, January 11th:         3-1 Rebels win in Saskatoon

Matt Bellerive has led all scorers in this series with 4 Assists but it has been Patrik Bartosak who has dominated the season series.

Top Performers:

Rebels

Matt Bellerive        4A +1

Kayle Doetzel        3A +3

Brooks Maxwell     3A +3

Turner Elson   2GP 2G  +2

Tyson Ness           2G  Even

Mathew Dumba  1G 1A +3

Patrik Bartosak   3-0  1.33 GAA  .958 Save% last 2:  2-0  0.50 GAA  .983 Save %

Blades

Dalton Thrower    2GP  1G 1A  Even

Struggling Blades in Series:

Darren Dietz          1G  -5

Shane McColgan    1A  -3

Josh Nicholls          1A  -2

Brenden Walker      1A  -1

Andrey Makarov     0-3  3.39 GAA  .900 Save %

Tonight the Blades streak ends and the Rebels extend their home win streak to 7!

Let's fill the Centrium, be loud n' proud and raise the roof, and chant

LETS GO REBELS!!!

by

Jim McKay

   It's Game Day Rebels fans and tonight is the biggest game of the season thus far. First off, it is Rustler night as the Rebels wear vintage jerseys which will be auctioned off during the game with proceeds going towards the Red Deer Branch of the Canadian Cancer Society.

On top of it being Rustlers night, what makes this game even more meaningful is that it is a battle for 4th place, which means home ice advantage in the playoffs. Each team has 11 games left but come into this game tied for 4th with 72 points a piece. The Rebels and Raiders have played each other 3 times thus far with P.A. taking 2, 1 in OT and 1 in a SO, while Red Deer took the other easily in regulation. Let's take a look at the season series.

Head to Head:   Prince Albert Raiders  2-1

                             Red Deer Rebels  1-0-1-1                                              

Tuesday, October 2nd   5-4 OT win for the Raiders in P.A. 

Sunday, Novembder 18th   6-1 Rebels win in Red Deer

Saturday, January 12th   4-3 OT win for the Raiders in P.A. 

Top Performers:                   

Rebels

Matt Bellerive     2G 3A

Tyson Ness        1G 3A

Haydn Fleury      2G 1A

Rhyse Dieno       1G 2A

Turner Elson       3A

Patrik Bartosak    1-1  2.49 GAA  .931 Save %

Raiders     

Mark McNeill    3G 2A

5 players tied with 2 points including Josh Morrissey who had 2 Goals the last time these teams faced each other.

Luke Siemens    2-1  4.04 GAA  .890 Save %

 Prince Albert Raiders 33-22-2-4 72 pts T4th East. Conf.  

The Raiders are coming off a 6-5 SO loss in Calgary last night. However, they trailed 3-1 in the 2nd and battled hard to get the point.They were led by rookie Leon Draisaitl's 2 goals. Luke Siemens was pulled just before the halfway point of the game after letting in 4 goals on just 19 shots. In their previous game, they had been trailing Medicine Hat 2-0 after 1 and came back to win 5-2. They are battling hard for their points after a real struggle and losing 3 of 4 before the game with the Tigers. After holding the divison lead all season they now find themselves in a battle with the Rebels for 4th spot. The Raiders have been struggling in the new year and will need to turn things around if they want home ice advantage.

Last 10:  4-4-1-1

The Raiders have not been a good road team especially of late and average 3.42GA on the road compared to 2.93GA at home.

Road:  16-14-0-1     last 10 on the Road  3-6-0-1

A big reason for the Raiders decline of late this season has been their poor Special Teams play as they have the worst PP in the WHL.

PP      22nd  14.6%  39/254                   PK  13th  79.6%  50/245

Road  21st  14.6%  19/130                 Road  10th  80.2%  26/131

Mark McNeill leads the team in Assists, Points, and is tied for the team lead in Goals. Rookie Leon Draisaitl is 2nd in the WHL in rookie scoring as well as he is the team leader in +/- with a very impressive +18.

Top Scorers: 

Mark McNeill        54GP  21G 33A  54P  +3

Anthony Bardaro  59GP  21G 29A  50P  -6

Dakota Conroy     57GP  18G 31A  49P  +7

Leon Draisaitl       53GP  18G 30A  48P  +18

Mike Winther        57GP  19G 25A  44P  +16

On Defence, the Raiders are led by 2013 NHL Draft Prospect Josh Morrissey 

59GP  14G 27A  41P  +13

In Goal, Luke Siemens leads the way with 55 appearances. 

Luke Siemens     31-17-2-3  2.84 GAA  .913 Save %

Andy Desautels      2-5-0-1  3.87 GAA  .879 Save %

 Red Deer Rebels 33-22-4-2 72pts  T4th East. Conf.      

The Red Deer Rebels are coming off an impressive 2-0 win in Lethbridge last night. They are now winners of 4 straight, 6 of 7, and 8 of 10. They are catching fire at the right time and tonight is the most meaningful game of the season to this point.

Last 10:  8-2

Home:  18-9-2-1 winners of 5 straight at Home. Last 10 at Home: 7-1-1-1

PP      17th  17%  37/218                        PK  3rd  84.9%  39/258  

Home  19th  17.2%  20/116                Home  7th  82.7%  19/110

Whos' Hot: 

Rhyse Dieno  10 Game Point Streak (10G 10A)

Mathew Dumba  11P in last 9GP. 10P in 8GP in the month of February

Turner Elson  11P in last 10GP

Top Scorers: 

Rhyse Dieno       38GP  24G 23A  47P  +16

Turner Elson       54GP  20G 26A  46P  +21

Joel Hamilton      59GP  9G 26A  35P  +1

Mathew Dumba   52GP  13G 21A  34P  +4

Bellerive and Maxwell each have 31 points.

In Goal, Patrik bartosak has been absolutely amazing all year, but especially even moreso of late. During the Rebels 4 Game Winning Streak, Bartosak is 4-0 0.96 GAA .969 Save %. He now sits 1st overall in the WHL in Save %, 4th in GAA, and T10th in Wins.

Patrik Bartosak    27-12-4  2.29 GAA  .933 Save %

Bolton Pouliot     5-8-0-2  3.41 GAA  .906 Save %

Let's fill the Centrium, cheer on our boys as loud as you can, and get lots of

LETS GO RUSTLERS chants going throughout the arena tonight.

BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR!!!

by

Jim McKay

   It's Game Day Rebels fans as tonight your Red Deer Rebels are in Lethbridge to take on the Hurricanes. Puck drop is at 7pm so tune in to 106.7 The Drive to listen to the legendary, always so passionate, Cam Moon, or watch live via webcast. It's a BIG 2 points on the line as teams battle for playoff positioning, or as in Lethbridge's case, just to make the playoffs. Red Deer is just 1 point back of PA for 4th spot in the Eastern Conference, while Lethbridge sits 1 point behind the Kootenay Ice for 8th spot. With Lethbridge only having played just 2 games since February 9th, and the Kootenay Ice being red hot for almost 2 months, the Hurricanes suddenly find themselves sitting on the outside of the Top 8. Other big games in the Eastern Conference to keep your eyes on tonight is PA at Calgary, and Medicine Hat at Swift Current. This will be the 4th meeting of the season between these 2 clubs so let's now take a look at the season series.

Head to Head:   Red Deer Rebels  2-1

                Lethbridge Hurricanes  1-0-0-2            

 These teams have met 3 times thus far this season with the Rebels taking the first 2 in Red Deer in a SO and the Hurricanes took the last game in Lethbridge with 2 late 3rd period goals on route to a 3-2 victory. Ty Rimmer and Patrik Bartosak have been amazing against each other. I expect another tight, hard fought, goalie battle, again tonight. 

Top Perfomers

Hurricanes

Sam Mckechnie     2G 1A

Brady Ramsay             3A

Graham Hood        1G 1A

Ryan Pilon                  2A

Ty Rimmer     1-0-0-2  1.67 GAA  .959 Save %

Rebels

Rhyse Dieno         1G 3A

Turner Elson              2A

Patrik Bartosak   2-1  1.90 GAA  .930 Save %

 Lethbridge Hurricanes 25-26-2-7 59pts  9th East. Conf.  

The Hurricanes are a team caught in a 4 game losing streak (0-3-1). Add the fact that they have only played twice since February 9th, and that the Ice are on fire, it's easy to see why this team now finds themselves in 9th place. They still have 12 games remaining and are only 1 point behind Kootenay for 9th and just 4 points behind the 6th place Tigers with 1 game in hand. Anything can happen.

Lethbridge has been a much better team at home.

16-11-1-3     last 10 at Home  5-4-0-1

The Hurricanes have struggled on Special Teams and hope to improve on this down the stretch.

PP     14th  18.1%  50/276                PK  17th  77.4%  60/265

Home 10th  19.3%  31/161            Home 20th  77.3%  29/128

Jaimen Yakubowski is coming off a 4 goal performance their last time out in a 5-4 loss to PG. Yakubowski is the team leader in Goals, Points, and PIMs. Rookie Reid Duke leads the team in +/- with a +11.

Top Scorers:     

Jaimen Yakubowski   59GP  31G 16A  47P  -1

Russell Maxwell         54GP  19G 27A  46P  +2

Sam Mckechnie          60GP  24G 16A  40P  -1

On Defence, the Hurricanes are led by Daniel in Johnston in both Goals and Points (8G 34P). Macoy Erkamps has 33P and a +4 in 60GP, and Ryan Pilon has 25P and +5 in 45GP.

In Goal, 20 year old Ty Rimmer is making the most of his last season in the WHL and has appeared in 55 games. Rookie Christopher Tai is his backup.

Ty Rimmer     22-23-2-7  3.06 GAA  .914 Save %

Christopher Tai         3-3  3.42 GAA  .893 Save %

 Red Deer Rebels 32-22-4-2 70pts  5th East. Conf.       

Although they did not play well their last time out, thanks to Turner Elson's last minute goal and Bartosak being unbeatable in SO's, the Rebels found a way to get the 2 points by beating the Pats 3-2 in a SO.

The Red Deer Rebels have caught fire at the right time, let's just hope they keep this up and only get better down the stretch and into the playoffs. The Rebels are winners of 3 straight, 5 of 6, and 7 of their last 9. Now to play this way on the road. They have played both 30 games at home and on the road but have allowed 20 more GA on the road so far this season than at home.

Last 10:  7-2-1    

Road:  14-13-2-1     last 10 on the road  3-6-1

The Rebels continue to have a dominant PK and continue to work on their PP.

PP     18th  16.7%  36/215                PK  4th  84.6%  39/253

Road  16th  16.2%  16/99               Road  4th  86%  20/143

Who's Hot:

Rhyse Dieno just gets better and more confident every game for the Rebels. He is currently riding a 9 Game Point Streak (10G 8A).

Mathew Dumba has 10P in last 8GP and 9P in 7GP in the month of February.

Turner Elson has 10P in last 9GP.

Brady Gaudet 3A in last 3GP

Rhyse Dieno is the Goal leader and is now tied in Points in just 37GP. Turner Elson is tied for team lead in Assists, points, and is the +/- leader with a +20!

Top Scorers:

Rhyse Dieno    37GP  24G 21A  45P  +15

Turner Elson    53GP  19G 26A  45P  +20

Joel Hamilton   58GP  9G 26A  35P  +1

On Defence, Mathew Dumba leads the way with 13G and 33P. Brady Gaudet since joining Red Deer has 17P in 42GP, and Haydn Fleury leads all Rebels rookies with 16P and is an impressive +4 as well.

In Goal, Patrik Bartosak is the man, setting a WHl record last time out with his 8th SO win of the season, improving to 8-0 in SO's. He's also 4th in WHL in GAA, and 2nd in Save %.

Patrik Bartosak   26-12-4  2.35 GAA  .932 Save %

Bolton Pouliot     5-8-0-2  3.41 GAA  .906 Save %

Hope you enjoyed the preview!

LET'S GO REBELS!!!

by

Jim McKay

   It's Game Day Rebels fans! Tonight the Regina Pats are in town with puck drop at 7pm. The Rebels find themselves just 1 point back of PA for 4th place so with home ice implications on the line, every game is a playoff game from here on. This is the 4th meeting of the season between the 2 teams so lets look at the season series thus far.

Head to Head:   Red Deer Rebels 2-1

                                Regina Pats 1-2                                

These teams split the first 2 meetings in October but then on December 5, on Jordan Eberle night in Regina, the new look Rebels had 1 of their most dominating victories of the season beating the Pats 5-1, while also outshooting them 49-20. Rhyse Dieno, in his only game of the season series, scored 2G and added 2A.

Top Performers:

Rebels

Rhyse Dieno     2G 2A

Joel Hamilton    1G 3A

Matt Bellerive    1G 2A

Mathew Dumba  3A

Turner Elson       3A

Tyson Ness       1G 1A

Patrik Bartosak   2-0 1.50 GAA  .921 Save %

Pats

Colten Jobke               1G 2A  (not in the lineup)

Chandler Stephenson  1G 1A

Dyson Stevenson         1G 1A

Trent Ouellette              2A

Matt Hewitt   1-2  3.35 GAA  .905 Save %

Other Notables:

Rebels are 2/13 on PP while Pats are 0/14

 Regina Pats 20-33-3-3 46pts  12th East Conf                   

The Pats sit dead last in the Eastern Conference, are losers of 3 straight, and have won just 2 of their last 10 coming into this one. 2 former Rebels, Stephen Hak and Mark McCoy, suit up against their former team tonight. Although the Pats have been better of late on the road, they are not a good road team and average 3.96 GA as the visitor.

Last 10: 2-7-0-1

Road:  8-17-1-2   last 10 on road  4-5-1

The Pats have not been good on Special Teams

PP     16th  17.1%  45/263               PK  20th  74.5%  70/274

Road  19th  15%  18/120               Road  21st  70.8%  40/137

Regina is led in scoring by former Rebel Lane Scheidl and 2013 NHL draft prospect Morgan Klimchuk. Thye have each scored 29 goals this season which accounts for 38.4% of all Pats goals!

Top Scorers:              

Lane Scheidl               59GP  29G 36A  65P  -2

Morgan Klimchuk       59GP  29G 32A  61P  -1

Chandler Stephenson  34GP  12G 20A  32P  +3

Dyson Stevenson        49GP  14G 16A  30P  -2

Trent Ouellette           43GP  9G 13A  22P  -8

On Defence, the Pats are led by Kyle Burroughs who has 20P in 57GP. Luke Fenske has a very impressive +7 with 17P in 45GP.

In Goal, Matt Hewitt has been their rock with rookie Teagan Sacher as the backup.

Matt Hewitt   13-22-2-3  3.41 GAA  .900 Save %

Teagan Sacher     7-11-1  3.48 GAA  .895 Save %

 Red Deer Rebels 31-22-4-2 68 pts  5th East Conf           

The Red Deer Rebels come into this game just 1 point behind PA in the battle for home ice advantage in the playoffs. The Rebels are catching fire at the right time being winners of 2 straight, 4 of 5, and 6 of 8. They have also won 4 straight at home.

Last 10: 6-3-0-1

Home: 17-9-2-1   last 10 at home  6-3-1

The Rebels PK continues to be very dominant in the WHL, while they continue to work on their PP.

PP     17th  17%  36/212                   PK  3rd  84.9%  38/251

Home 19th  17.7%  20/113            Home 5th  83.3%  18/108

Who's Hot:    

Rhyse Dieno is riding an 8 game point streak (9G 7A).

Mathew Dumba 10P in last 7GP (3G 7A) and has 9P in 6GP in the month of February.

Turner Elson is pointless in last 2 but still has 9P in last 8GP

Dominik Volek has 7P in last 7GP

Top Scorers:

Turner Elson      52GP  18G 26A 44P  +18

Rhyse Dieno      36GP  23G 20A  43P  +13

Joel Hamilton     57GP  9G 26A  35P  +2

Mathew Dumba  50GP  13G 20A  33P  +2

Bellerive and Maxwell both have 31 points

On Defence the Rebels are led by Dumba's 13 Goals. Brady Gaudet has 16P in 41GP for Red Deer. While Haydn Fleury leads all Rebels rookies in points with 169 and +/- with a +5.

In Goal, Patrik Bartosak has been our MVP. He sits 4th in the WHL in GAA, and 3rd in Save %.

Patrik Bartosak   25-12-4  2.36 GAA  .932 Save%

Bolton Pouliot     5-8-0-2  3.41 GAA  .906 Save %

Cory Millette remains out with an upper body injury

It is a weeknight but lets fill the Centrium the best we can, be super loud n' proud, and get lots of chants of LETS GO REBELS!!!

It is the lowly Pats in town, but we can't take them lightly and need to have a very impressive showing again tonight as we ride the stretch to the Playoffs!

by

Jim McKay

  It's Game Day once again Rebels fans and it should be a good one. The Rebels host the Victoria Royals with puck drop at 7:30pm. Should be close to a sell out tonight and if you aren't lucky enough to attend the game, it will broadcasted live on Shaw.

Head to Head:   Red Deer Rebels 1-0

                               Victoria Royals  0-0-0-1

The only time these two teams met this season was back on Friday, December 14th. Red Deer came out victorious, winning 3-2 with Conner Bleackley getting the SO winner. Rhyse Dieno scored 2 goals and another in the SO. Bolton Pouliot stopped 32 of 34 shots for the win. Patrik Polivka stopped 30 of 32 in the loss. Royals went 1 of 6 on the PP while the Rebels were 0/3.

Victoria Royals 32-20-1-3  68 pts  4th West Conf

Victoria has been a team playing some great hockey of late. However, they had their 5 game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night in Cranbrook, losing 5-1 to the Kootenay Ice. They have the 6th best winning percentage in the WHL at .607, and they are just 1 win and 6 points away from tying their franchise's most successful season back in 2009/10, with 16 games still remaining. The Royals have a remarkable 20-0-0-2 record when taking a lead into the 3rd so building a lead is crucial to their success. The Royals have been better of late on the road but still sit 2 games under .500 on the road.

Last 10:  6-3-0-1

Road: 13-15-0-1   last 10 on the road  6-4

PP     3rd  22.8%  61/268                PK  12th  79.6%  50/248

Road  4th  23.1%  33/143             Road  14th  78%  31/141

The Royals are the most penalized team in the League!

PIMs Per Game   22nd   19.2 mins

Who's Hot:                                                           

Austin Carroll has a 4game point streak (2G 5A) giving him 35P in 52GP

Steven Hodges has a 3 game points (2G 1A)

Top Scorers:                                                 

The Royals are without Alex Gogolev who has a lower body injury and is out for 2 weeks. Magee and Crooks lead the team with 28 goals each. Ben Walker leads the Royals in +/- with a +15.

Alex Gogolev      49GP  20G 45A  65P  +7

Brandon Magee   56GP  28G 23A  51P  +8

Jamie Crooks       53GP  28G 14A  42P  -9

Ben Walker          43GP  16G 24A  40P  +15

Steven Hodges    44GP  23G 14A  37P  +3

On Defence, the Royals are led by Brett Cote who has 8G 24A for 32P and a +3 in 56GP. Joe Hicketts leads all rookies on the Royals with 20 points in 51GP.

In Goal, the Royals have 2 rookie goalies. Patrik Polivka had his 5 game winning streak snpped on Wednesday night but still sits tied for 3rd in the WHL with 28 wins.

Patrik Polivka      28-12-1-2  3.01 GAA  .900 Save %

Coleman Vollrath   2-6-0-1  3.77 GAA  .874 Save %

 Red Deer Rebels 30-22-4-2  66pts  5th East Conf

The Rebels are a team that will playing on full emotion tonight. If you thought Wednesday was emotional, tonight will be even moreso. The Rebels family lost a great young man named Kale Williams recently, son of Dean Williams, and friends to many Rebels players and people throughout the community of Red Deer. His funeral was today and it will definitely be a tough one mentally and emotionally tonight for the Rebels. I'm sure they will dedicate another big win to Kale. #RIPKW

The Rebels are a team who is really starting to warm up at the right time of the season. Not only have they won 3 of 4 but 5 of their last 7. The Rebels are a very good home team as well.

Last 10: 5-4-1

Home:  16-9-2-1   last 10 at home  5-3-1-1

PP       16th  17.1%  35/205                PK  4th  84.6%  38/247

Home  18th  17.9%  19/106            Home  7th  82.7%  18/104

The Rebels continue to improve in terms of discipline, like expected under Sutter.

PIMs Per Game   5th   13.5 mins

Whos's Hot:

Rhyse Dieno has a 7 game point streak (9G 6A)

Mathew Dumba responded to his 4 game point streak being snapped by responding with 3A on Wednesday night to give him 2G 7A 9P in last 6GP and he has 8 points in 5GP in the month of February.

Top Scorers:

Turner Elson continues to show why he is such a great Captain. He leads the Rebels in both points and +/-

Turner Elson       51GP  18G 26A  44P  +18

Rhyse Dieno        35GP  23G 19A  42P  +13

Joel Hamilton       56GP  9G 26A  35P  +3

Mathew Dumba   49GP  12G 20A  32P  +3

Matt Bellerive       55GP  12G 19A  31P  -6

Brooks Maxwell   58GP  7G 24A  31P  +3

On Defence, the Rebels are led by Dumba and his 12 Goals. Brady Gaudet has been an excellent addition to the team. In 40GP for the Rebels, Brady has 16P and a +1. Haydn Fleury leads all rookies on the Rebels with 16P in 52GP. He's also a very impressive +5 and made a beauty pass to Rhyse for the Rebels 1st goal on Wednesday night.

In Goal, Red Deer is led by none other than their MVP Patrik Bartosak who sits 4th in GAA, and 3rd in Save % in the WHL.

Patrik Bartosak   24-12-4   2.40 GAA  .930 Save%

Bolton Pouliot     5-8-0-2  3.41 GAA  .906 Save %

Cory Millette is still out indefinitely with an upper body injury.

Let's fill the Centrium, be loud n' proud, and get lots of LETS GO REBELS chants going throughout the arena tonight. The game is on Shaw tonight so let's show the WHL just how loud we can be and why we are the best fans in the WHL!

by

Jim McKay

   It's GameDay Rebels Fans! Your Red Deer Rebels will finally be back playing in the Enmax Centrium tonight as they host the Prince George Cougars. Puck drop is at 7pm. The Rebels have not played at home since January 31st, a game in which they beat the Kootenay Ice 6-2. Since then the Rebels played 4 road games, compiling a record of 2-2. They just came back from a well traveled 3 game Western road swing in which they went 2-1, beating PG and Seattle, before falling in a hard fought battle with Kamloops.

Head to Head Meetings:   Prince George Cougars 1-0-1

                                                   Red Deer Rebels  1-1

These teams have faced each other twice in the last few weeks with the road team coming out victorious in both. Back on Saturday, January 19th, the Cougars came into Red Deer and despite being outshot 32-24 they walked away with a 3-1 victory. Wilson led the way for the Cougars, scoring an EN and adding an assist. Mac Engel was great stopping 31 of 32 shots for the win. However, exactly a week ago, the Rebels continued to show their never say die attitude and went into PG and despite trailing 3-2 going into the 3rd, they walked out with a 4-3 SO win. This was despite rookie Zach Pochiro's 2G and 1A for PG. Dumba led the way with 2 assists and this time it was Patrik Bartosak's time to shine as he made 50 saves and stopped both shooters in the SO for the win. Bartosak improved to 6-0 in Shootout's this year and has stopped 20 of 22 shooters. That's the 2nd best Save % in SO's in the WHL, next to Skapski of the Ice who has stopped 24 of 25.

Top Performers:

Cougars   

Zach Pochiro   3G 1A

Klarc Wilson    1G 1A

Chase Witala    2A

Mac Engel     1-1  1.92 GAA  .935 Save %

Rebels   

Joel Hamilton   2G

Tyson Ness      1G 1A

Mathew Dumba  2A

Patrik Bartosak  1-1  2.41 GAA  .934 Save %

 Prince George Cougars 17-31-2-6  42pts  9th W Conf      

The Cougars come into Red Deer just 2 points out of a playoff spot but have 1 game in hand on 8th place Seattle. They are coming off a split with the Vancouver Giants winning the 1st game 6-4 but then losing their last time out 4-1 to the Giants. The Cougars have won just 3 of their last 10 and are a horrible road team. However, 1 of their 5 road victories was here in Red Deer.

Last 10:  3-5-0-2 

Road:  5-17-0-4     last 10 on the road   1-8-0-1  

PP      22nd  13.8%  35/253          PK  18th  76.9%  45/195  

Road  20th  14.6%  20/137         Road  18th  75.2%  27/109 

Who's Hot:            

Jari Erricson    4G 1A in last 3 GP

Zach Pochiro   2G 4A in last 4 GP

The Cougars are led in scoring by 1 of their Vets, recently turned 20 year old Colin Jacobs. Jacobs leads the team in Goals and is tied for the team lead in Points. Rookie Zach Pochiro who has been on fire of late leads the team in +/- with a very impressive +5 on a team of mostly minuses.

Top Scorers:                        

Colin Jacobs     50GP  18G 19A  37P  -22

Troy Bourke      47GP  9G 28A  37P  -16

Chase Witala     45GP  14G 17A  31P  -12

Zach Pochiro    50GP  10G 15A  25P  +5

Jari Erricson      43GP  11G 11A  22P  -4

On Defence, the Cougars are led by Dallas Erhardt who has 18P in 51GP. Rookie Marc McNulty has 7G in just 36GP.

In Goal, Mac Engel has been much better of late and rookie Brett Zarowny is his backup.

Mac Engel                 7-18-1-6  3.29 GAA  .892 Save %

In PG Engel's #s are   6-17-1-6  3.34 GAA  .891 Save %

Bret Zarowny                      9-13  3.34 GAA  .901 Save %  

 Red Deer Rebels 29-22-4-2 64pts  5th E Conf           

The Rebels wake up this morning still in 5th place but now find themselves trailing newly 4th place PA by 3 points. The Saskatoon Blades are on fire and for the 1st time this season have grasped 1st in their division and the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference. The good news for the Rebels is that PA has lost 2 in a row and has just 3 wins in their last 10. The Raiders will also be in town on the 23rd so mark that on your schedules. Red Deer has been a much better home team this season and with the next 3 of 4 and 5 of the next 7 games to finish the month being at home, this bodes very well for the Rebels.

Last 10:  5-4-0-1

Home:  15-9-2-1     last 10 at home   5-3-1-1

PP       18th  16.7%  33/198          PK  3rd  84.5%  38/245

Home  19th  17.2%  17/99        Home 8th  82.1%  18/102  

Who's Hot:           

Rhyse Dieno   7G 6A in last 6GP. Rhyse has a 6 game point streak.

Turner Elson  9P in last 6GP. Turner has scored in 5 of the last 6 games.

Mathew Dumba  2G 4A in last 5GP. Dumba had a 4 game point streak snapped last game.

Dominik Volek 3G 3A in last 5GP.

The Rebels continue to be led in scoring by their Captain Turner Elson. Elson has been an amazing leader, especially of late, and is a +10 in last 6 GP to now lead the team in +/- with a +15. Rhyse Dieno is on a 6 game point streak and is now the team leader in goals with 21 and the only Rebel to average a point per game or higher. Joel Hamilton continues to lead the team in assists.

Top Scorers:                 

Turner Elson     50GP  18G 26A  44P  +16

Rhyse Dieno      34GP  21G 19A  40P  +12

Joel Hamilton     55GP  8G 26A  34P  +3

Tyson Ness       57GP  13G 17A  30P  -5

Matt Bellerive    54GP  12G 18A  30P  -6

On Defence the Rebels are led by 1 of their star players, none other than Mathew Dumba. 48GP  12G 17A  29P  +1. Brady Gaudet has 14P in 39GP, and Haydn Fleury has 15P and a +4 in 51GP.

In Goal, the Rebels are led by their MVP, Patrik Bartosak. Bartosak sits 5th in GAA and 3rd in Save % in WHL rankings.

Patrik Bartosak     23-12-4  2.43 GAA  .929 Save %

Bolton Pouliot      5-8-0-2  3.41 GAA  .906 Save %

Cory Millette is still out indefinitely with an upper body injury.

On a side note, a huge congrats to former Rebel great Darcy Kuemper who got his 1st NHL start last night. Although he didn't get the win, he played fantastic stopping 28 of 30 shots.

It's been 2 weeks since we've had a home game so let's fill the Centrium, be loud n' proud, and get lots of LETS GO REBELS chants going throughout the Centrium tonight!