Rebels outlast Blades in crazy high-scoring contest

Red Deer takes tiebreaking shootout 2-1 and game 7-6

The Rebels celebrate Talon Brigley’s shootout winner.

It was one of those nights that kept the fans on the edge of their seats and could potentially give coaches heart attacks.

On Tuesday night at the SaskTel Centre, the goals came in bunches like in the 1980s as the Red Deer Rebels downed the host Saskatoon Blades 7-6 after a tiebreaking shootout in a WHL regular season contest played in front of 2,741 spectators.

The Rebels took the tiebreaking shootout 2-1 with 16-year-old right-winger Talon Brigley scoring in the fourth round. Rebels 20-year-old centre Liam Keeler had Red Deer’s first tally in the tiebreaking session, while Blades star centre Tristen Robins had Saskatoon’s marker in the shootout.

There was lots of frantic action around the nets in Tuesday’s game.

Tuesday’s offensive fireworks came likely from the fact both teams started associate player call ups in net.

The Rebels, who were playing their first game since returning from their WHL Christmas break, did not have their star puck-stopping tandem available for Tuesday’s contest in 19-year-old Connor Ungar and 18-year-old Chase Coward.

Ungar was listed as being out with an undisclosed injury, while Coward is day-to-day with a lower body injury.

As a result, 17-year-old Justen Maric, who plays for the Edmonton Gregg Distributors Canadian Athletic Club under-18 AAA team, started his first career WHL game playing goal for Red Deer. 

Ben King had two goals and an assists for the Rebels.

Maric turned away three-of-six shots and was pulled after the first period.

Chase Wutzke took over in the Red Deer goal in making his WHL debut. The 15-year-old Debden, Sask., product, who plays for the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 AAA team, was greeted by cheers from family and friends in attendance.

Wutzke turned away 12-of-15 shots to playing the second, third and overtime periods for the Rebels and three of four shooters in the shootout. He picked up his first career WHL win helping the Rebels improve to 21-9-1.

Overall, Wutzke is a recent addition to the Rebels, who selected him in the second round and 40^th overall in the WHL Prospects Draft held on December 9.

Tristen Robins had a goal and five assists for the Blades.

With the Rebels being forced to dress two associate player call ups to play goal, the Blades elected to give 17-year-old associate player call up Austin Elliott his second career WHL start. Elliott is filling in for Blades backup goalie Ethan Chadwick, who is out day-to-day with a lower body injury.

Elliott, who plays junior A for the Notre Dame Hounds of the SJHL, turned away 24-of-29 shots playing the first and second periods for the Blades.

He was pulled for 20-year-old star veteran Nolan Maier at the start of the third frame. Maier turned away 12-of-13 shots playing the third period and overtime and two of four shooters in the shootout.

Kyle Crnkovic had three goals and two assists for the Blades.

Maier took the overtime setback in goal for the Blades, whose record moved to 16-13-1-1. The Yorkton, Sask., started for the Blades on Monday in a 4-1 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert, and the Saskatoon side was originally trying to give Maier the night off on Tuesday.

Ultimately, the challenges both sides faced in goal created a situation that allowed both clubs to burn out the bulbs on the scoreboard.

The Blades opened the scoring at the 7:07 mark of the first period, while working on the power play. Stationed in the left slot, Robins one-timed a setup pass from rearguard Charlie Wright to give the host side a one-goal edge.

Liam Keeler had a goal for the Rebels on Tuesday.

Just 17 seconds later, the Rebels evened the score at 1-1, when 19-year-old star centre Ben King converted a tick-tack-toe passing play from Arshdeep Bains and Jhett Larson. King knocked home the puck from in close at the left side of the Saskatoon net.

Just 1:18 after that tally, the Blades went ahead 2-1, when star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic wristed home a shot from the point.

With 3:02 remaining in the first, the Blades struck again on the power play, when 17-year-old left-winger Brandon Lisowsky tipped home a point shot from captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere.

The second period was a wild one that attempted to knockout the scoreboard. 

Jace Isley scored the Rebels fifth goal on Tuesday.

Brigley scored to cut the Blades edge to 3-2, but the Blades replied with two straight goals to push their advantage to 5-2 as Crnkovic scored his second of the contest and Jayden Wiens potted a single on a power play.

The Rebels proceeded to score three straight to even things up at 5-5. Bains, Keeler and Jace Isley all netted singles for Red Deer in that offensive run that evened the score.

With 6.8 seconds remaining in the second, the Blades jumped back in front 6-5, when Crnkovic potted his third of the night on a backhand shot from the left side of the Red Deer net. The Chestermere, Alta., product had two assists to go with his hat trick.

Blake Stevenson looks for a scoring chance for the Rebels.

Robins made a nice pass across the face the Red Deer goal to set up Crnkovic for his third tally of the night. That set up was the fifth assist of the contest for Robins.

De La Gorgendiere finished the night collecting three assists for the Blades.

At the 10:42 mark of the third, the Rebels evened things up at 6-6 scoring on the power play.

Rebels right-winger Blake Stevenson took a shot from the right boards that deflected off the boards behind the Saskatoon net right to King at the left side of the goal. King popped home the equalizer into an empty cage for his second tally of the night.

King had an assist to go with his two goals on Tuesday.

In overtime, Wutzke came up with three clutch saves to prevent the Blades from pulling out the win including turning away Blades defenceman Rhett Rhinehart close in off a backhand shot.

The Rebels celebrate their win on Tuesday.

Defenceman Kyle Masters had the Rebels best chance to score in overtime when he wired a shot off the post of the Saskatoon goal.

That set the stage for the dramatics of the tiebreaking shootout, where Red Deer pulled out the win.

With the crazy victory under their belts, the Rebels return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Prince Albert to take on the 12-15-1-1 Raiders (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Blades will try and get back in the win column on Thursday when they host the Raiders (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

As for Tuesday’s clash between the Blades and Rebels, the fans definitely got full value for their ticket purchases on that night.

Blades, Tigers, Cougars combine on massive three-way trade

Kyren Gronick made his debut for the Blades on Tuesday.

The Saskatoon Blades, Medicine Hat Tigers and Prince George Cougars combined on a massive three-team trade on Tuesday involving six players and five WHL Prospects Draft selections.

In the deal, the Blades received 17-year-old right-winger Kyren Gronick from the Cougars, 17-year-old defenceman Ryan Nolan from the Tigers and a fourth round selection in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft from the Tigers.

Gronick, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 180 pounds, played 21 games for the Cougars this season posting three goals and six assists. The Regina, Sask., product made his debut for the Blades on Tuesday as they fell 7-6 after a tiebreaking shootout to the Red Deer Rebels at the SaskTel Centre.

Gronick was held without a point in his first game with the Blades.

Nolan, who stands 6-feet and weighs 156 pounds, appeared in eight games this season with the Tigers and didn’t register any points.

The Tigers received 19-year-old right-winger Brendan Lee from the Blades, 17-year-old defenceman Pavel Bocharov from the Blades and fifth round selection in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft from the Cougars in the deal.

Lee, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 187 pounds, skated in 30 games for the Blades this season posting five goals and six assists.

Bocharov, who stands 6-feet and weighs 178 pounds, appeared in 30 games for the Blades this season collecting one goal and six assists.

The Cougars received 17-year-old left-winger Cayden Glover from the Tigers, centre Carlin Dezainde, who turns 17-years-old on Wednesday, from the Tigers, a conditional second round selection in the 2023 WHL Prospect Draft from the Tigers, a third round pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft from the Blades and a seventh round pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft from the Blades.

Glover, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 186 pounds, has appeared in 15 games for the Tigers this season collecting three goals and two assists.

Dezainde, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 161 pounds, has appeared in 21 games for the Tigers collecting two assists.

The WHL trade deadline for the current campaign is January 17, 2022.

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