Unlike their game Friday night against the London Knights, the Red Deer Rebels started the Memorial Cup game against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies nervously.
It didn’t help early on when Rebel got called for a very weak cross-checking penalty. Timo Meier made them pay, scoring his 3rd goal in just two games.
Following the second goal, Rebels Head Coach Brent Sutter called a timeout.
“I told them that I loved them,” said Sutter. “And I told them that if they went out and won the game I’d love ’em even moreWe killed the penalty right after the timeout then shortly after we made it two – one.
“It was huge and it gave the boys some life and some momentum.”
The timeout and the subsequent successful penalty kill that the Rebels were tasked with seemed to give the squad some jump that lasted the rest of the game.
All it took was 40 seconds into the second period for the Rebels to score again, when Adam Helewka found the twine on a feed from Boston Bruins First rounder Jake DeBrusk.
“The two players I was playing with are both great players,” said Helewka in his post-game availability. “They both see the ice real well, they work hard and we just tried to get some chemistry going.
“They made it easy for me.”
Rebels Head Coach Brent Sutter chimed in on the Adam Helewka, Luke Philp and Jake DeBrusk line that combined for seven points tonight in his post-game press conference.
Sutter said that “they’re offensive type guys that need to have the puck on their stick to make plays” and that “they were really intelligent with the puck and their puck possession ratio was really good.”
After scoring two unanswered goals to even up the game at 2-2, the fans in the Enmax Centrium got on the backs of their beloved Rebels. Three more unanswered goals later, and it was apparent that the Huskies couldn’t keep up with the host squad.
No matter what they did, the Huskies couldn’t seem to stay out of the penalty box and it cost them.
Huskies F AJ Greer found himself in hot water with the referees more than once tonight. After taking an embellishment call that he clearly didn’t agree with, Greer went to the penalty box and began to throw water bottles around.
“I overreacted, that was about it,” said Greer when asked about the call. “I saw it a different way than the refs did.
“I shouldn’t have acted that way and that’s all that happened – I will learn from my mistakes.”
Playing in their second game in two nights, the Huskies didn’t seem to be able to keep pace with the Rebels once they scored their first goal. Huskies Head Coach Gilles Bouchard denied it having any effect on the team in his post-game press conference, which is what you would expect him to say.
What’s next for both teams?
Well both teams will have time to dwell on what happened tonight, as the London Knights and Brandon Wheat Kings square off Monday night at 6:00 PM MT.
The Rebels next game comes Wednesday when they take on the Brandon Wheat Kings.
The Huskies next game comes Tuesday against the London Knights.
I am credentialed and covering the 2016 Memorial Cup in Red Deer. You can follow me on twitter here for live updates from all this year’s games.
My work at this year’s Memorial Cup:
Knights surge past the Rebels 6-2 in the tournament’s opening game – Beer League Heroes, May 21.
Conner Bleackley shines in first game in over two months – Copper and Blue, May 21.
Should the Oilers be looking at drafting Kale Clague? – Beer League Heroes, May 22.
