Rebels face huge challenge in Wheat Kings

Rest gives Brandon an edge in WHL Eastern Conference finals

Adam Helewka and his Rebels will battle the Wheat Kings.

    One of the slogans the Red Deer Rebels have gone by in the 2016 WHL playoffs is “#allheartrebels,” and they are going to need all of that heart and more against the Brandon Wheat Kings.

    The Rebels advanced to the best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference championship series after taking a thrilling and memorable seven-game set against the Regina Pats. Red Deer will be making its first appearance in the conference final since 2004.

    In the Wheat Kings, the Memorial Cup hosting Rebels face their toughest test of the post-season to date. The Wheaties have been resting since dumping the Moose Jaw Warriors 7-3 in Game 5 of a second round series at Westman Place last Friday in Brandon.

    With Brandon hosting Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals this Friday, a one week break means the Wheat Kings will be rested, but rust shouldn’t really be a factor. The Wheaties are also deep, and they have one of the best team cultures in the league.

    You can bet there are Red Deer hotel and restaurant staffers who are looking forward to the arrival head coach, general manager and owner Kelly McCrimmon and his Wheat Kings bunch in the central Alberta centre for Games 3 and 4, because Brandon is known for being one of the best mannered and classiest clubs off the ice. Those off-ice characteristics transfer to success on the ice as well. Brandon finished second overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 48-18-4-2 mark.

John Quenneville had been hot in the post-season for the Wheat Kings.

    Under head coach, general manager and owner Brent Sutter, the Rebels have traditionally been known for their heart and never quit work-ethic. Those characteristics allowed the Rebels to overcome a talented and spirited young team in the Regina Pats, who will likely be a force for years to come.

    Red Deer is as deep and talented as Brandon due to the fact Sutter loaded up his roster to be strong due to hosting the Memorial Cup in May. The Rebels were sixth overall in the WHL with a 45-24-1-2 record.

    With all things being equal, this series should be a tossup, but it may not be. Since April 13, the Rebels have endured three different eight-hour bus trips between Red Deer and Regina. Red Deer faces a 12-hour haul to get to Brandon.

    The Rebels have only two off days between their 2-1 victory over the Pats in Game 7 of their second round series on Tuesday and the start of the conference finals on Friday. The bus hours and the volume of games played does take its toll on a team.

Haydn Fleury fires a shot on goal for the Rebels.

    If the Rebels are to win the series, they are going to need starting netminder Rylan Toth to steal a couple of games. Toth returned after missing about two months due to a low body injury in a relief appearance in Game 4 of the series with the Pats and has gone the distance since. The Saskatoon product has a 2.31 goals against average and a .929 save percentage in the post-season.

    The 19-year-old entered the season as the Rebels money goalie. Toth is also aided by what has become strong group of starting six defencemen in Haydn Fleury, Kayle Doetzel, Nelson Nogier, Josh Mahura, Colton Bobyk and Austin Strand. That group just has to play smart, and Toth’s job becomes that much easier.

    With that in mind, Brandon’s big offensive players have been rolling in the team’s 11 post-season games, where five players are averaging over a point a game in John Quenneville (7g, 9a), Reid Duke (6g, 10a), Tim McGauley (6g, 7a), Nolan Patrick (5g, 8a) and Jayce Hawryluk (2g, 10a).

    Kale Clague, captain Macoy Erkamps and Ivan Provorov have been dynamite on the back end for Brandon. Jordan Papirny has gone the distance in goal in the playoffs posting 2.65 goals against average, a .898 save percentage and one shutout.

Captain Macoy Erkamps steadies Brandon's back end.

    Adam Helewka (8g, 4a) and Jake DeBrusk (5g, 7a) have topped the Rebels in post-season scoring. Captain Luke Philp, Michael Spacek, Evan Polei, Brandon Hagel and Adam Musil have all added key contributions at different times. Musil had the series winner against the Pats.

    While both teams have good players, the rest factor in Brandon’s favour looms large as a series-deciding intangible. The lengthy series definitely favours the Wheat Kings.

“Retired” Meachem still on WHL beat

    Veteran Red Deer Advocate sports writers and editor Greg Meachem retired, but he didn’t stay out of action for long.

    Shortly after his retirement, the Rebels brought Meachem on board to write web stories on the team on reddeerrebels.com. Meachem’s presence ensures the Rebels top the WHL in the best written content on any team website in the league.

    Big props have to be given to Sutter and his staff for ensuring Meachem remained active in covering the team. He is one of the best on the WHL beat. It seems Meachem is enjoying his new role as well.

Back on the cover of the Express thanks to Flinton

Julia Flinton looks to make a setup pass for the Huskies.

    I was back in the Saskatoon Express this week writing the cover story on the duel life of Julia Flinton, who recently wrapped up her career with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team.

    During her playing career with the Huskies, Flinton returned home to Williams Lake, B.C., in the off-season to be a forest firefighter. The 23-year-old will return home to follow that career on a full-time basis now.

    My sit down chat with Flinton ranks up there with as one of my most favourite interviews I have ever done. Flinton topped all Huskies defenders in career scoring with 14 goals and 66 assists in 131 regular season games.
    Flinton was also part of the Notre Dame Hounds squad that won the Esso Cup female midget AAA national hockey championship in 2011. 

    The Saskatoon Express on Flinton can be found here.

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

Martin comes up clutch for Rebels

Career WHL backup goalie becomes playoff star in Red Deer

Goalie Trevor Martin celebrates a win with his Rebels teammates.

    RED DEER, Alta. - Not that long ago, the idea that Trevor Martin would be a money goaltender in the WHL playoffs was unthinkable.

    At best, it seemed like he would hold a career backup role in the major junior ranks. Entering this season, Martin has played in 20 career regular season games all coming in his 18-year-old campaign with the Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels.

    Back on Jan. 5, 2015, the Blades traded Martin to the Rebels in exchange for defenceman Kolton Dixon. In 19 appearances with the Blades, Martin posted a 3-10-2 record, a 4.16 goals against average and a .886 save percentage. Anyone familiar with major junior hockey knows those type of numbers usually don’t help a goaltender last long at that level of play, especially when the individual is slated to be a 19-year-old sophomore.

    Fast forward to Sunday night in Red Deer, Martin came through with a huge 35-save performance to back the Rebels to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Regina Pats before 4,802 spectators at the Enmax Centrium in Game 2 of a second round playoff series. The win allowed the Rebels to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series heading into Game 3 in Regina on Tuesday night.

    The only tally Martin could have been faulted on came on Regina’s third goal. With the Rebels trying to kill off a Pats power play, Martin fumbled a point shot from Pats defenceman Connor Hobbs, and WHL scoring champ Adam Brooks potted home the rebound with 0.3 seconds to play in the second period.

Trevor Martin makes a shoulder save on Cole Sanford.

    Brooks’ goal forced a 3-3 tie, but Martin made a number of key stops on odd man rushes to allow the Rebels to win the game.

    “He (Martin) was solid,” said Rebels head coach, general manager and owner Brent Sutter. “In the third period, he just shut the door.

    “He made some big saves in the third as he did throughout the whole night. You need that. You have to have goaltending at this time of year.

    “You have to have good goaltending. There is a lot of parity in this league. You get to this stage teams are good hockey teams, and you are going to need saves from your goalies.”

    Martin was the Rebels backup until a lower body injury knocked 19-year-old starter Rylan Toth out of the line-up back in the middle of February. Toth was in a walking boot just before the playoffs started. With Toth out for an extended time, Martin became the man for the Rebels, and he has made the best of his opportunity.

    In the regular season, he posted an 18-8-2 record, a 2.63 goals against average and a .911 save percentage in 38 appearances. The Ardrossan, Alta., product has been even better in his seven post-season starts posting a 6-1 record, a 2.29 goals against average, a .924 save percentage and one shutout - the first in his WHL career.

    Martin played a key part in the Rebels 3-2 victory over the Pats in Game 1 of their series on Saturday. He made 20 saves to pick up that win, and almost half of the stops were high quality. Red Deer’s defenceman made a number of giveaways in that contest, which resulted in Martin making a number of bailout saves.

Trevor Martin holds the fort during a net scramble.

    In Game 2, Martin was still making bailout and game changing stops. Early in the second, he turned away Pats left-winger Austin Wagner with a kick save on a breakaway chance. Martin late stoned Pats star sniper Cole Sanford from in close later on in the frame with a shoulder stop.

    During the third period, Martin was key in helping the Rebels kill off a double minor penalty assessed to star defenceman Haydn Fleury for high-sticking. Martin also made a robbery stop on Pats standout Sam Steel and denied Brooks in the final seconds of the frame to preserve the Rebels fifth consecutive win in the post-season.

    Rebels 18-year-old defenceman Josh Mahura gave Martin huge credit for the success the team has had.

    “When (Rylan) Toth came out there, he (Martin) stepped in and has been unbelievable for us,” said Mahura. “He is a backbone obviously in the net there. He has been playing unbelievable this playoffs.”

    When Toth went down, one had to wonder what the Rebels fate would be in the post-season and what their chances would be as hosts of the Memorial Cup tournament in May.

Trevor Martin makes a sprawling kick save on Riley Woods.

    Martin has become that clutch goalie every team needs to have success in the playoffs. When a netminder comes through with bailout saves like Martin has, it energizes a team.

    With Toth nearing a possible return to the Red Deer line-up, Sutter has told the Red Deer media that Martin will remain the team’s starter for the foreseeable future. At the moment, Martin has the Rebels two wins away from their first WHL Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2004.

    In Sunday’s clash, the Rebels went ahead 4-3 at the 11:18 mark of the third, when Adam Musil deflected home a point shot from Mahura. Mahura, Michael Spacek and Adam Helewka all netted singles for the Rebels, who were 2-for-4 with the power play.

    The Pats netted all their goals with the man advantage going 3-for-6 on the power play. Steel and Sanford had the other power-play markers for Regina. Tyler Brown made 28 stops to take the loss in goal for the Pats.

Trevor Martin makes a glove save in the Rebels goal.

    In Martin, the Rebels found their clutch playoff goaltender in an unexpected way. He has become one of the most uplifting individual stories in the league. When the dust settles, Martin might be the piece that allows the Rebels to go all the way in possibly winning both a league title and the franchise’s second Memorial Cup championship.

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

Rebels rally past Pats

Nelson Nogier (#6) and goalie Trevor Martin protect the Red Deer net.

    RED DEER, Alta. - It wasn’t a textbook victory by any stretch for the Red Deer Rebels, but when it comes to the WHL playoffs, all that matters is finding a way win.

    On Saturday night at the Enmax Centrium, the Rebels stumbled out of the gate falling behind 2-0 on a pair of power-play goals scored by the visiting Regina Pats. The Rebels netted a pair of power-play goals of their own in the second to tie things up at 2-2 and bring to life the crowd of 5,845 spectators.

    In the third, Evan Polei roofed home the winner at the 7:51 mark to give the Rebels a 3-2 victory in Game 1 of a best-of-seven second round playoff series with the Pats.

    “It was a game of speciality teams probably on the positive and negative side,” said Rebels head coach, general manager and owner Brent Sutter. “There were too many penalties.

    “We took some bad penalties in the first period that put us down. We took a couple of penalties 200 feet from out net. They capitalized on two power plays, and then our penalty killing was good after.

Cole Sanford had a big power-play goal for the Pats.

    “We got a break there in the second, where they took two minors in one shift, and we capitalized on both of those. It seemed to give us some momentum and got us thinking the right way and we started skating and getting a feel for the game.”

    Red Deer committed four minor infractions in the opening 20 minutes, which helped tilt the ice in favour of the Pats. At the 2:14 mark, Pats overage defenceman Colby Williams slipped home a point shot on a power play to give Regina a 1-0 lead.

    The Pats proceeded to go up 2-0 on their second power-play chance, when Sam Steel and Adam Brooks worked the puck over to skilled sniper Cole Sanford, who made no mistake burying his fourth of the post-season into an open cage.

    The Rebels defencemen also committed a handful of bad giveaways in the first and missed a few big hit attempts, which allowed Regina to have a couple of extra odd-man rushes. The Pats held a 10-4 edge in shots going into the first intermission.

    Red Deer started carrying the play more in the second and caught a break at the 12:04 mark, when Pats left-winger Robbie Holmes and Williams were both sent off for hooking and slashing minors respectively at the same time.

    On the ensuing two-man advantage, the puck slid over to Rebels left-winger Adam Helewka at the right side of the Regina goal during a net scramble situation. Helewka lifted home a shot over fallen Pats goaltender Tyler Brown to cut Regina’s lead to 2-1.

Colton Bobyk had a goal and an assist to power the Rebels comeback.

    Just 28 seconds later, Rebels defenceman Colton Bobyk fired home a shot from the point for another power-play goal to pull Red Deer even with Regina at 2-2.

    Sutter said the Rebels focused on coming out with more intensity in the second period.

    “I just think the emotion level had to pick up,” said Sutter. “I think that we were playing on our heels, and that is not taking anything away from Regina, because I thought they had a heck of a first period.

    “I thought we needed to get ourselves into the game.”

    In the third, the Rebels netted the winning goal, when Bobyk fed the puck down the right wing to Polei putting him in the clear. Polei drove to the net and fired home a shot to the top right corner of the Regina goal.

    “It was a good play by (Colton) Bobyk giving me the puck there, and I got an opportunity and it was nice to capitalize,” said Polei. “I was thinking about cutting to the middle and putting it low blocker.

    “Then I decided he was going to be cheating that way, so I just had a quick shot and put it upstairs.”

    The Rebels, who host the Memorial Cup in May, still had to kill off a couple of late minor penalties in the third, which resulted in Regina having a two-man advantage for 48 seconds. The penalty killing trio of Adam Musil, Grayson Pawlenchuk and Nelson Nogier did a great job collapsing down low around the goal to keep the Pats at bay and preserve the win.

Evan Polei (#10) fires home the winning goal for the Rebels.

    Red Deer still made some big giveaways after going ahead on the scoreboard, but the Pats could turn those chances into an equalizing tally.

    Trevor Martin made 20 saves to earn the win in goal for the Rebels. Brown turned away 28 shots to take the loss in the Regina net.

    As the series moves forward, Polei said his side can’t continue to play from behind like in Saturday’s series opener.

    “We definitely need to start better to beat this team in the upcoming games for sure,” said Polei. “They (the Pats) are a great hockey team. They play hard and physical every game every night.

    “We need to be on the ball for the start of the game.”

    Game 2 of the series is set for Sunday at 5 p.m. Red Deer time at the Enmax Centrium.

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

WHL trade deadline not all fun and games

Adam Helewka is a recent Rebels addition.

    Fans might find the WHL’s trade deadline fun, but it far from that for a lot of people associated with the league.

    This year’s deadline passes at 12 p.m. Mountain Time on Sunday, and its conclusion is often greeted with relief. As soon as the Christmas break ends, anxiety heightens on the part of the players from that point until the deadline passes. It is recognized that this short time span becomes the last chance for some clubs to bolster their rosters for a long playoff run, while other teams might be looking towards the future.

    Players that might think they are safe might get thrown into a multi-person blockbuster deal, because you often have to give up a good asset to acquire a good asset. Most of the brain trusts in the league are pretty sharp, so it is pretty hard for one club to fleece another club in a trade.

    During this lead up, players often wonder if they will have to leave friends they have made and the billet families they have gotten to know in short order to venture into a new world. That will often leave their parents and agents scrambling to help them relocate to a new centre.

    The lead up to the deadline is also hard for general managers. They often work mobile phones day and night mostly in an effort to tire kick to see what is out there. The deals result from only a small amount of the tire kicking.

    While working the phones, general managers often give up whatever short family and personal time they already have. When the deadline passes, that sacrifice no longer has to be made.

    Believe it or not, the trade deadline is often not fun for a number of the media outlets that cover the league. Most of the media outlets in WHL centres have a minimum of resources to work with. Reporters are often trying to squeeze in a trade story along with covering other local sporting events in their respective communities and satisfying the technical aspects that come with producing stories in print or broadcast.

Jake DeBrusk's addition adds to the Rebels offence.

    Trades often break at the strangest times, and reporters are often left scrambling to rework their schedules.

    The only person that seems to have any control on what goes on is Richard Doerksen, who is the WHL’s vice-president of hockey. All of the league’s trades go through Doerksen, who gives deals the final stamp of approval.

    When I interviewed for a trade deadline feature about a couple of years back, Doerksen said the only time trades can’t be made are from 11 p.m. at night to 7 a.m. in the morning, because he shuts his mobile phone off during those hours in order to sleep. He still has somewhat of a set schedule.

    During the final stretch leading up to this season’s trade deadline, the Red Deer Rebels, who will host this year’s Memorial Cup tournament, have to be viewed as the big winners so far. When action resumed after the WHL’s Christmas break on Dec. 27, 2015, the Rebels sat third overall in the 22-team league with a 23-12 mark.

    Since that time, the Rebels have swung three big deals that have bolstered their chances to enter the Memorial Cup tournament as possible WHL champions. On Dec. 27, 2015, they acquired 19-year-old winger Jake DeBrusk from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for 18-year-old forward Lane Pederson, a first round pick in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft and a third round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft.

Taden Rattie is caught in a scrum against the Blades.

    DeBrusk had been the face of the Broncos franchise and will likely add some strut to the Rebels lineup. He has 14 goals and 22 assists in 30 games this season.

    On Jan. 1, the Rebels acquired high-scoring overage winger Adam Helewka from the Spokane Chiefs. The Chiefs picked up overage winger Wyatt Johnson, 15-year-old prospect Eli Zummack, a second round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft and a fifth round pick in the 2017 Bantam Draft. Helewka has 19 goals and 18 assists in 22 total games this season, while Johnson had been the Rebels captain.

    Red Deer’s third major move came on Sunday, when they picked up overage centre Luke Philp from the Kootenay Ice in exchange for overage winger Presten Kopeck, 17-year-old defencaman Ryan Pouliot, the rights to 16-year-old forward Tanner Sidaway, and a second round and a third round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft. Kopeck was dealt a day later to the Chiefs in exchange for overage winger Riley Whittingham and a fourth round selection in the 2017 Bantam Draft.

    Philp has 13 goals and 16 assists in 22 games with the Ice, but he is still out with an ankle injury he suffered back on Nov. 21, 2015.

    In a minor move on Dec. 28, 2015, the Rebels picked up 18-year-old winger Taden Rattie from the Portland Winterhawks for a fourth round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft. Rattie, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 190 pounds, recorded seven goals, five assists and 155 penalty minutes in 53 games at the junior A level last season with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Whitecourt Wolverines, and he should add a physical presence.

Landon Bow was traded by the Broncos.

    The additions of DeBrusk, Helewka and a healthy Philp make the Rebels that much more of an extremely dangerous offensive team. Red Deer (28-13) hosts the Lethbridge Hurricanes (28-12) on Friday in a battle for first overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

    The Rebels would benefit from having a little more depth on defence, but a running theme among scouts that watch the WHL is that this is a thin campaign when it comes to the number of good rearguards and goaltenders that are in the league. The asking price for those spots will be at a premium.

    With that in mind, the Seattle Thunderbirds were able to acquire standout overage goaltender Landon Bow from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for 18-year-old netminder Taz Burman and overage winger Jamal Watson on Tuesday.

    A hockey family reunion was created in a Monday deal involving the Saskatoon Blades and the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Blades sent 17-year-old defenceman Schael Higson, overage rearguard Mitch Wheaton and second round selection in the 2017 Bantam Draft to the Wheat Kings for 18-year-old winger Braylon Shmyr and overage defenceman Colton Waltz.

    Waltz’s younger sister, Jerrica, is a sophomore goalie for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team.

Kennedy to get WHL Alumni Achievement Award

    On Thursday, the WHL announced that Sheldon Kennedy will be presented with the WHL Alumni Achievement Award.

    Kennedy will receive the honour in a pre-game ceremony in Swift Current before the host Broncos take on the Moose Jaw Warriors at 2 p.m. at the Credit Union i-plex. The Brandon, Man., product was a star winger for the Broncos from 1986 to 1989 and was the captain of the 1989 Memorial Cup championship Broncos squad.

    Kennedy is best remember for coming forward about how he was sexually abused by his former coach in Swift Current, Graham James. James was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in a federal prison after pleading guilty to sexual offenses against Kennedy and another player.

    Since that revelation in the 1990s, Kennedy has been an unprecedented leader in the cause of awareness and prevention of child abuse, and was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2014.

    On Friday, Kennedy will be in Swift Current as that centre launches a new initiative called “Youth Certification and Safe Places,” which is a certification and registration strategy that requires background checks for anyone that works directly with children.

    It has been good to see Kennedy and the community of Swift Current move forward in a number of positive ways in recent years.

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