Rebels dump Ice...

UPDATE

For the record Ice rookie Erik Benoit didn't notch his first WHL point last night... because he didn't play. Benoit was credited with the second assist on Matt Fraser's goal last night on the WHL's online scoresheet but it was later changed to Max Reinhart, who in fact did play. That was obviously post-deadline so my apologies. And that'll teach me to rely on whl.ca....

Also, Brayden McNabb just rejoined the team this evening due to an unavailable flight last night. That story is forthcoming.

JB


For the Cranbrook Daily Townsman...


Rebels double up on Ice

by Jeff Bromley


Rebel Captain Colin Archer hit the crossbar in the game’s first minute Wednesday night in Red Deer and he did it again three minutes into the second. The third time Rebel forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did it in the second period it was a charm and proved to be icing on the cake as the Rebels doubled the Kootenay Ice 4-2. “Saturday I was praising the guys about how many played so well and how many came to play,” said Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch. “Tonight it was a different story and not everybody was ready to play.

“When you don’t come ready to play you’re not going to win the game.”

With Drew Czerwonka in the box for interference in the last minute of the first period the Rebels opened the scoring with just three seconds left in the period as Andrej Kudrna finished off a pretty pass by new Rebel Byron Froese to make it 1-0. “In the second we started to play better but there were some costly goals at some costly times that really set us back,” said Knoblauch

“We didn’t have a very good start to the first period but we were getting stronger and stronger and we were starting to take over the game. But that late goal in the first period and then that stretch of three in the second made it really tough on us.”

The Rebels went 4-10 on the man-advantage over two games against the Edmonton Oil Kings, outscoring the Oil 12-2, so taking penalties wasn’t a solid gameplan. A 0-9 effort on the penalty kill by the Ice against the Hitmen, Kootenay surrendered two power play goals Wednesday in Red Deer. They stayed out of the box this time but couldn’t keep the puck out of the net when they needed to. “The difference tonight was special teams. They scored two power play goals and then one shorthanded goal, they were definitely strong with the man-advantage.”

The Ice tied it when James Martin ripped a shot from the point just as a four-on-three man advantage ended that beat a screened Darcy Kuemper 3:34 into the second. Through two games Kootenay’s power play sits at 0-11.

At 9:11 the Rebels restored their one-goal lead, again this time with the Ice on the power play but this time it backfired as some hard work by Rebel forward Adam Kambeitz gave the home side the lead with a shorthanded marker. The Rebels would try to run away with it after that as 18-year-old Turner Elson notched his first of the season less than two minutes later to make it 3-1 before budding superstar Ryan Nugent-Hopkins proved three’s a charm as the Rebels’ third post of the night went bar-down and into the net to make it 4-1 in a span of just over three minutes. The spectre of last season’s second game, a 7-1 drubbing in Red Deer some 374 days ago, loomed but the feeling of déjà vu all over again wouldn’t last as Kootenay wouldn’t give up this time as Matt Fraser nicely deked Kuemper at 17:03 of the second to put them back within striking distance.

It wouldn’t be enough as the Rebels held off the Ice in the third period to quell the comeback attempt.


Quick Hits – With the win the Rebels improve to 3-0 and top spot in the Central Division while the Ice fall to 1-1... G Todd Mathews turned aside 31 of 35 shots while Darcy Kuemper made 21 saves to get the win... G Nathan Lieuwen (bruised knee – day-to-day), LW Kevin King (overage numbers), D Brayden McNabb (Buffalo Sabres training camp) and F Ryan Bloom (healthy) didn’t play Wednesday… McNabb was released by the Buffalo Sabres yesterday and will play Friday against the Chiefs. Knoblauch said the 19-year-old would’ve played tonight had there been a better flight connection out of Buffalo… Lieuwen took a puck off the side of his knee in practice Tuesday and is day-to-day. He was scheduled to play against the Rebels but the injury forced 20-year-old Todd Mathews into action. Kootenay can only dress three 20-year-olds and thus Kevin King was the odd-man out. The club is carrying four overage players (Mathews, Fraser, Steele Boomer and King) and must get down to three by the league deadline of October 14…. The Spokane Chiefs visit the Rec Plex Friday. Gametime is 7PM.