Rebels all business in 5-2 win over Blades in Game 2

Red Deer leads WHL Eastern Conference semi 2-0

The Rebels celebrate a goal from captain Jayden Grubbe (#9)

Poised, businesslike and hard-working.

It was type performance one comes to expect out of the Red Deer Rebels when they are at their best under the ownership of Brent Sutter. Sutter serves as the team’s general manager and president, while the performance of the players is under the tutelage of veteran head coach Steve Konowalchuk, who currently has the Rebels playing up to a lofty traditional standard.

On Sunday playing before 6,156 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Rebels built a 4-0 lead and downed the host Saskatoon Blades 5-2 in Game 2 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series holding a 20-16 edge in shots on goal. With the win, the Rebels now hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set. They took Game 1 of the series 3-1 on Friday.

The Blades clear away the puck during a net scramble.

Games 3 and 4 are set for Tuesday and Wednesday respectively at 7 p.m. both nights at the Peavey Mart Centrium in Red Deer.

On Sunday, the Rebels were keenly focused on their systems play and pretty much suffocated the life out of the Blades and the enthusiasm of the host side’s fans in the building. Red Deer clogged up the centre ice zone taking away the Blades tendency to go for stretch passes. Saskatoon found it tough sledding to go up ice.

In the defensive zone, the Rebels played with poise and had good spacing. The Blades players were often kept to the outside and seemed to second guess what they wanted to do when it came time to pass the puck.

Ben King had a goal and three assists for the Rebels on Sunday.

In the offensive zone, the Rebels set up a strong forecheck that kept the Blades pinned for numerous stretches in their own zone. When the Rebels had the puck in the offensive zone, they moved it around with confidence and shot it with purpose once it was in a prime scoring area.

Seeing how well the Rebels played shouldn’t come as a surprise from a club that is coached by Konowalchuk. Konowalchuk had a lengthy NHL career as left-winger with the Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche from 1992 to 2006, and he served as the head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds for six seasons from 2011 to 2017. He guided the Thunderbirds to a WHL championship in his final season with the club in 2016-17.

Jhett Larson had a goal and two assists for the Rebels on Sunday.

Following that WHL title, Konowalchuk moved on to the NHL as an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks in 2017-18 and served as a scout for the New York Rangers from 2018 to 2021. He was brought back to the WHL by Sutter on June 8, 2021 to serve as the head coach of the Rebels.

Konowalchuk is the type of bench boss Sutter had been looking to pass the head coaching roll to after holding that job title for the majority of the time he owned the Rebels since buying them in 1999. Konowalchuk’s teams traditionally play with good structure, discipline, poise and tenacity, which made him a perfect fit to be the Rebels head coach.

Jayden Grubbe had a goal and two assists for the Rebels on Sunday.

On Sunday against the Blades, the Rebels showed how strong they can be when they are focused on being their best. Even with their strong outing on Sunday, the Rebels are always looking for ways to improve and get better.

The opening 20 minutes started in a more tight checking fashion as the two sides were tied 4-4 in the shots on goal department.

Early in the second, Rebels captain Jayden Grubbe had a great chance to score close in on the right side of the Saskatoon net, but he was robbed by the glove hand of Blades netminder Austin Elliott. That was just a sign of the avalanche of momentum to come.

Hunter Mayo chases down a loose puck for the Rebels.

The Rebels broke through on the scoreboard at the 7:53 mark of the second. While working on the power play, Grubbe and defenceman Mats Lindgren got the puck over to star 20-year-old left-winger Ben King, who was positioned above the left faceoff dot.

King took his time and roofed home a power-play marker to give the Rebels a 1-0 lead. After that tally, the Rebels were off and running.

Just seconds later, Rebels centre Craig Armstrong drove a shot from the front of the Saskatoon net off the crossbar. The visitors didn’t dwell on the near miss.

The Rebels struck again 1:49 after King’s goal. On a rush into the Saskatoon zone, right-winger Jhett Larson and King combined to get the puck to star import offensive-defenceman Christoffer Sedoff, who was speeding down the left wing. Sedoff blew home a shot to the top right corner of the Saskatoon goal to give the Rebels a 2-0 lead.

Christoffer Sedoff had a goal for the Rebels on Sunday.

With 7:50 remaining in the second, Grubbe won a board battle in the left corner of the Saskatoon zone. He proceeded to get the puck to Larson at the top of the left faceoff circle. Larson fired home a shot to give the Rebels a 3-0 lead.

After that goal was scored, you could hear a pin drop in the Blades home rink.

Follow that Rebels tally, the Blades pulled Elliott. Elliott stopped 9-of-12 shots fired his way to take the setback in the Saskatoon net. Ethan Chadwick turned away 4-of-6 shots playing the rest of the way in relief.

The Rebels kept on coming in the third. At the 3:38 mark of the frame, rookie left-winger Carson Birnie fired home a midrange shot to give the visitors a 4-0 advantage.

Carson Birnie had a goal for the Rebels on Sunday.

The Blades got on the scoreboard at the 9:48 mark of the third with a power-play goal from star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky to cut the Red Deer lead to 4-1.

Grubbe added a goal just under three minutes later to round out the game’s scoring to give the Rebels a 5-1 edge. With 5.9 seconds remaining in the third, Blades 19-year-old defenceman Charlie Wright scored on a four-on-three power play to round out the 5-2 final in favour of the Red Deer side.

The Rebels forward unit of King, Grubbe and Larson had a banner night. King finished with a goal and three assists, while Grubbe and Larson each posted a goal and two assists.

HC Steve Konowalchuk has the Rebels playing in strong form.

Blades star centre Trevor Wong picked up helpers on both Saskatoon goals.

Kyle Kelsey stopped 14 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels.

Going into the series, few would have expected the Rebels to win the first two contests on the road in Saskatoon. The Blades finished fourth in the overall WHL regular season standings with a 48-15-4-1 record and were rated 10^th in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Rebels finished fifth in the overall WHL standings and topped the Central Division with a 43-19-3-3 mark.

The Blades took three out of the four regular season encounters between the two sides. In the two regular season clashes played at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades claimed a 6-2 win on January 7 and a 5-2 triumph on March 1.

Trevor Wong had a pair of assists for the Blades on Sunday.

In the post-season, it would have been viewed as big for the Rebels to get a split in the first two games in Saskatoon. Red Deer’s 3-1 win in Game 1 could have gone either way. For the Rebels to follow up with an impressive 5-2 win in Game 2 on Sunday, it was head turning.

To make matters worse for the Blades, their captain and star overage offensive-defenceman Aidan De La Gorgendiere didn’t play the third period. The Blades have also been without steady 20-year-old defenceman Blake Gustafson for the first two games of the series with an undisclosed injury.

Saskatoon has the potential to get back in the series. The Blades lost the first two games of their first round series at home to Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats before rallying for a 4-3 series victory.

The Rebels celebrate their Game 2 win on Sunday.

With that said, the Rebels are a different beast. They are sound defensively and benefit from having a touch more experience than the Pats had.

On the surface, it is going to be much bigger challenge for the Blades to comeback in the series against the Rebels than it was to rally against the Pats.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Rebels down Blades with 3-1 textbook road win in Game 1

Saskatoon will try to even Eastern Conference semi on Sunday

The Rebels celebrate a third period goal from Jace Isley.

The Red Deer Rebels made the Saskatoon Blades look like they were fighting their way through quicksand.

On Friday playing before 6,823 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Rebels clogged up the centre ice zone and sealed off the passing lanes in the defensive zone to grind out a 3-1 victory over the host Blades in Game 1 of a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. Game 2 is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre, where the Blades will be looking to get on even terms before the series shifts to Red Deer for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

Rebels head coach Steve Konowalchuk said he thought his team would be in a tight battle, and that was how Friday’s game materialized.

Christoffer Sedoff had a goal and an assist for the Rebels.

“We knew it would be a tough game, and it was a tough game and goes right to the end,” said Konowalchuk. “It is sure nice to get the first win, but it is back to work and try to reset for next game.

“Our team I thought had some composure. They’ve got a good power play. They usually don’t’ give a lot of power play chances, so we have to be smart on our end as well.”

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne said his team played good at times but a better effort was needed overall.

“We didn’t start on time,” said Sonne. “I didn’t like our start.

“I didn’t like the first period. We had good spurts in the second and third. (We were) not consistent enough however and not enough guys really raising their level tonight.”

Tyler Parr returned to the Blades lineup from injury on Friday.

Early in the first period, Rebels captain Jayden Grubbe had a breakaway on the Saskatoon goal. The 19-year-old skilled centre snapped a shot off the goalpost.

Shortly after killing off a Rebels power play, Blades winger Tyler Parr was stopped close in after taking a shot from the right side of the Red Deer net. Parr was playing his first game after missing 48 contests between the regular season and post-season due to an upper body injury. Sonne was pleased with Parr’s performance on Friday.

“We just love Parrsy (Parr),” said Sonne. “He is a workhorse, such a good kid (and) just brilliant.

“It was huge having him back. He was awesome.”

Jhett Larson had the Rebels first goal on Friday.

With 9:21 remaining in the first, there was a bit of confusion when play was stopped in the Red Deer end. The officials were trying to determine if the Rebels were guilty of a high-sticking infraction from a linesman observation, when Blades utility player Spencer Shugrue went down. Shugrue proceeded to finish the game.

The stoppage to discuss the possible penalty lasted about 10 minutes, included video review and saw the officials place Rebels import right-winger Frantisek Formanek in the penalty box and then let him out of the box a couple of minutes later. Formanek looked visibly confused through that whole situation.

When play resumed with no penalty being called, an announcement went up in the building that there was no penalty for high sticking, because a Blades player high sticked himself.

Jace Isley was credited with the Rebels second goal on Friday.

The opening 20 minutes was a feeling out frame with the Rebels holding a 7-5 edge in shots on goal.

Red Deer broke through on the scoreboard at the 4:28 mark of the second, when Rebels right-winger Jhett Larson, who turned 19-years-old in early February, fired home a shot from in front of the Saskatoon net. Larson’s tally came on the Rebels ninth shot on goal in the contest and he converted a beauty drop setup pass from Rebels import offensive-defenceman Christoffer Sedoff.

“It is certainly always nice to get the first goal,” said Konowalchuk. “They block shots, and they do a good job protecting their house.”

Following the Rebels goal, Blades netminder Austin Elliott made a trio of big saves to ensure the Blades made it to the first intermission only down one goal. First, Elliott made a right pad stop on Rebels left-winger Ben King close in on the left side of the Saskatoon net.

Jake Chiasson had the Blades lone goal on Friday.

Elliott proceeded to rob Sedoff with a glove stop. A short time later, Elliott made a left pad stop on a point shot from Rebels defenceman Hunter Mayo, who fed the puck through a screen.

“I think both teams came out ready to go, and it was a tight game,” said Grubbe. “There wasn’t a lot of chances back and forth.

“For the most part, it was pretty tight and getting in shot lanes. Around the net, there wasn’t a lot besides kind of special teams there where it opened up a little bit. I think it was a good start to the series.”

The Blades came out with a good push back in the third. Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov had a great scoring chance one-timing a rocket shot from the right slot that Rebels netminder Kyle Kelsey, who has been sensational in the post-season, got his blocker on.

Kyle Kelsey made 23 stops in goal for the Rebels.

Kelsey proceeded to stone Blades 19-year-old defenceman Charlie Wright who pinched down low to the right side of the Red Deer net for a huge scoring chance.

With 6:41 remaining in the third, the Rebels pushed their lead out to 2-0 thanks to a positive bounce goal. Rebels 20-year-old winger Jace Isley jetting down the right wing, cut across the face of the Blades goal and put a shot of the right post of the Saskatoon net.

The puck proceeded to sit loose in the crease of the Saskatoon goal. Blades 18-year-old defenceman Ben Saunderson scrambled to clear the puck away from the net but inadvertently deflected it off Elliott’s skate into his own goal to give the Rebels their two-goal edge.

The Blades didn’t go away. With 2:27 remaining in the third, they pulled Elliott for an extra skater.

Austin Elliott makes one of his 17 saves in goal for the Blades.

Blades star left-winger Jake Chiasson collected the rebound from a Sidorov shot at the left side of the Red Deer net and put the puck into an empty cage to cut the Rebels lead to 2-1 with 1:52 remaining in the third. The hosts were unable to find the equalizer as Sedoff rounded out the win with a long range empty net goal with 4.1 seconds remaining in the frame.

Grubbe was pleased his squad was able to take the series opener.

“I think for us it was just important to get off to a good start here,” said Grubbe. “You want to ideally get one on the road at least.

Ben Saunderson had some back luck on Friday night.

“It is good to get the first one here to start off and then go from there.”

Elliott turned away 17-of-19 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades. Kelsey stopped 23 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels in a battle of rookie netminders.

Both squads had three power-play chances, but were not able to score with the man advantage.

Looking forward to Game 2, Sonne said he will be looking for three things from his players.

“Our start needs to be a lot better,” said Sonne. “We need to start on time with everyone.

Rebels D Mats Lindgren fends off Blades RW Vaughn Watterodt.

“We need to get forechecking. I really didn’t think we did enough on the forecheck. I think everyone just to a man has to make sure they are being their best selves, which you really can’t say that about tonight.”

Konowalchuk said his team needs to reset for Game 2 expecting the Blades to come with a stronger effort.

“I think our guys know that,” said Konowalchuk. “I think the other team knows that.

“It is a series. We have to reset, and that would be the message. It is just you know what - let’s go back to work and put this one behind us.

“It is going to be tough for next game.”

The Rebels celebrate their win on Friday.

NOTES – Blades 20-year-old defenceman Blake Gustafson was out with an undisclosed injury and center Josh Pillar, who turned 21-years-old in February, was out for an undisclosed reason. The Rebels were without veteran defenceman Marek Schneider, who turned 20-years-old in February, for an undisclosed reason.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Contacts’ Korchinski making waves in hockey

Kevin Korchinski in action for the Contacts last season.

    You can add Hockey Canada prospect to the list of accomplishments of young Saskatoon product Kevin Korchinski.

    The 16-year-old from the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 hockey team has come up thought the game as an offensive-defenceman. As a result of having the skill set to play that role, Korchinski will be a sought after addition at the highest levels of hockey.

    After collecting 10 goals and 37 assists in 31 regular season games with the Saskatoon Generals under-15 club in the 2018-19 campaign, Korchinski found a WHL home being selected by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the first round and 10^th overall in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.

    He proceeded to play his 15-year-old season with the Contacts as a rookie in Saskatchewan’s under-18 AAA hockey league. Korchinski posted seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points in 41 regular season games.

    He helped the Contacts finish third overall in the Saskatchewan under-18 AAA league with a 30-12-2 record. The Contacts swept the Prince Albert Mintos in a best-of-five league quarter-final series 3-0.

    Saskatoon proceeded to be swept by the Moose Jaw Warriors 3-0 in a best-of-five league semifinal series. The rest of the under-18 AAA playoffs were cancelled nationally on March 13 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
    Korchinski appeared in one WHL regular season game with the Thunderbirds in Seattle on Nov. 16, 2019. 

Kevin Korchinski put up 26 points with the Contacts last season.

    He posted a minus-two rating in the plus-minus department as the Thunderbirds downed the Portland Winterhawks 5-4 after a tiebreaking shootout.

    On Wednesday, Korchinski, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 154 pounds, found out he was one of 113 players named to Hockey Canada’s virtual under-17 development camp, which runs July 19-25.

    The players who are selected for this camp are on Hockey Canada’s radar to be placed on one of the three teams the sport body sends to World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. At the moment, the upcoming World Under-17 Hockey Challenge is slated for Oct. 31 to Nov. 7 for Charlottetown and Summerside, P.E.I., depending how the world situation unfolds related to COVID-19.

    While Korchinski won’t get to compete in a live camp, the fact he picked up this camp selection is a result of all the hard work he has put in through this point in his career. He has gotten to this point with little fanfare outside of folks in personnel departments from WHL teams.

    With all that noted, Korchinski has the making to be one of those players you hear about in the game for some time to come.
    Overall, Korchinski was one of six Saskatchewan product invited to Hockey Canada’s virtual under-17 camp. Weyburn product Dylan Ernst, who is a Warriors under-18 goalie, will also take part in that virtual event.

Kevin Korchinski will participate in a virtual Hockey Canada camp.

    Defencemen Hunter Mayo and Kalem Parker, who both played for the Saskatoon Blazers under-18 AAA team, are both tabbed for the virtual camp. Mayo is from Martensville, and Parker is from Clavet.

    Parker’s older sister, Mackenna, was a former member of Canada’s under-18 women’s national team.

    Regina product Kyren Gronick, who played for his hometown Pat Canadians under-18 AAA team, and Delisle product Jhett Larson, who played for the Notre Dame Hounds under-18 AAA team, cracked the virtual camp invite list at forward.

    Niall Crocker, who is prospect forward for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, and Brandon Lisowsky, who is a prospect forward for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, earned virtual camp invites too.

    For Korchinski and the rest of those young players, the under-17 virtual camp invite by Hockey Canada is likely just the next step towards making their biggest strides in the game.

Meaningful games mark real return for a sport, other notes

Who knows when Cody Fajardo (#7) and the Roughriders will play again.

    When sport jumps into action for real, its return should considered real at that point in time.

    That means the sport has to be engaged in regular season or post-season action, where a championship is on the line.

    At the moment in North America, that would mean the NASCAR Cup Series, UFC and PGA can be officially returned to action during these COVID-19 pandemic times.

    The COVID-19 pandemic created massive shutdowns in the sports world in North America starting on March 11, when the NBA paused its season.

    Besides the NASCAR Cup Series, UFC and PGA actually getting into action, there have been a lot planning for other circuits to get back into action. The NHL, NBA and MLB have cemented return to play plans that are slated to be executed in late July or early August.

    Until any of these leagues actually have teams participate in a meaningful game, you can’t say those circuits are officially back in action.

    The same goes for any sports league in Canada. That goes for the CFL, CHL, U Sports, CJFL or any minor sports.

    As far as the CFL is concerned, you wonder if it will return. On Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are the flagship franchise of the circuit, announced they have $7.6-million in reserves and a stabilization fund, but all of that money is projected to be depleted by late fall.

    The Roughriders are projecting a loss of $10-million for 2020-21 fiscal year if the 2020 CFL regular season and playoffs for that year are indeed wiped out. The club posted a loss of $210,064 for the 2019-20 fiscal year, which included the club contributing just over $670,000 to the CFL for the management of the Montreal Alouettes.
    In Saskatchewan, minor baseball and softball games are planned for July. Until they play meaningful regular season games, those sports can’t be considered returned.

The return of Nolan Maier and the Saskatoon Blades is uncertain.

    Golf in Saskatchewan could be declared as returned as a Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event was held Friday and Saturday at the Elmwood Golf Club in Swift Current.

    Still, there are no certainties on how sports will progress in Canada and North America. Over the past two weeks, it seems there have been a constant barraged of reports coming out of the United States of athletes testing positive for COVID-19.

    On Friday, the United States confirmed a record daily high for new COVID-19 cases at about 45,300. On Saturday, the state of Florida recorded a record of 9,585 new COVID-19 cases, which is a record for the state in a 24-hour period.

    Florida’s old record of 8,942 new COVID-19 cases was actually set one day earlier on Friday.

    Even the most powerful professional league in North America in the NFL showed cracks in its defiance of COVID-19 this week. NFL officials had given the impression the circuit would play a regular season that is close to normal.

    On Thursday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame cancelled the Hall of Fame Game set for Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio, that was to feature the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony set for Aug. 8 has been postponed until August of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    That might foreshadow a sign of things to come for the NFL.

    The COVID-19 case spikes in the United States offers further confirmation how contagious the virus can be.

    In Canada where there has been a total of just over 103,000 COVID-19 cases so far this year, there seems to be a more general feeling that Canadian government and medical health officials are doing a better job of handling the pandemic than officials in the United States are.

    In Saskatchewan, Premier Scott Moe and Dr. Saqib Shahab, who is Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer, should be praised for their work. As of Saturday, there were just 103 active cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan.

Will Rylan Kleiter, left, and the Saskatoon Hilltops play in 2020?

    While some have worried Saskatchewan’s re-opening plan hasn’t gone fast enough, Saskatchewan was the first province to come out with a plan, and those in charge have stuck to their plan in following through on it.

    In comparison to the United States, Saskatchewan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been at an all-star level as events have unfolded. If there were doubts about this in early June, they have likely been erased now.

    Still looking at what is happening in the United States, you can expect that will cause more caution to be used regarding when various sports teams, leagues and minor sports bodies will return to play in Canada.

    At the moment, it appears caution is definitely the best course of action.

• On Tuesday, the Government of Saskatchewan announced contact sports were allowed in the province and spectators are allowed at sports games as long as they following physical distancing measures. Only outdoor sports facilities are permitted to be in action at the current time.
• On Wednesday, the Hockey Hall of Fame announced its 2020 class of inductees. They include players Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa, Kevin Lowe, Kim St-Pierre and Doug Wilson. Ken Holland, who is a long time NHL executive and current Edmonton Oilers general manager, is going in as a builder.
• Theoren Fleury wasn’t elected to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Here is hoping the retired star right-winger from the NHL’s Calgary Flames will crack into the Hall, because he has a lengthy list of accomplishments in the game and his journey of perseverance on the mental health front has been incredible.
• Gregg Drinnan has been tracking the fallout from the lawsuit filed by Daniel Carcillo and Garrett Taylor against the CHL alleging various forms of abuse during their major junior careers. They are hoping to have the lawsuit certified as class-action. Drinnan rounded up various developments on that front in his Taking Note blog that can be found right here.
• The 2020 Canadian Final Rodeo slated for Nov. 3 to 8 in Red Deer, Alta., has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On Friday, the Medicine Hat Cubs junior B hockey team announced it will not play in the 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic and diminishing sponsorship revenues. The Cubs play out of the Heritage Junior Hockey League in Alberta.
• On Friday, the Saskatoon Blades hired Jeff Harvey as their new goaltending coach. The 37-year-old played goal in the WHL with the Kootenay Ice, Swift Current Broncos and Everett Silvertips from 2000 to 2004. Harvey suited up for five seasons in the U Sports ranks with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team from 2005 to 2010. Harvey replaces retired NHL goalie in 52-year-old Tim Cheveldae as the Blades goaltending coach.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.