Season Opener: Rebels vs Hitmen. Last season revisited?

[Rebel~66]

I was so pumped for this game. Finally a real chance to beat these guys. We last beat them in February 08 but now we had a team to compete with them. Now it was going to be different so I was pumped to kick some Hitmen butt. Not sure why I thought that way now......

I don't have too much time for a detailed analysis and wrangling the kids meant I missed some portions of the game but quickly......

Kuemper was not good to put it bluntly. At least two of those goals he should have had, perhaps three.

Petrovic had a tough game from my standpoint as did the defenceman of the year (just for SND)

The powerplay generated some chances but really when you go 0 for 8 you're not going to win many hockey games. Too many blocked shots from the point...

RNH was very good, as expected as was Kambietz for more than just his goal. I like the look of Green too.

The top line was average at best and defensively poor at times.

That's it for now. More later perhaps.....

Thoughts?


edit: Oh yeah, Calgary is a good team...............again. Darn!

[RDRebelsfan]

Too many neutral zone turnovers. The defensive game was poor. And the transition game for the Rebels was also poor.

[SectionNDeserter]

Kuemper was not good to put it bluntly. At least two of those goals he should have had, perhaps three.This is probably the biggest factor in the game last night--WHL goaltenders just don't allow goals like that. The score could have wound up a great deal closer were it not for the brilliant play of Martin, especially early on. Will be interesting to see who gets the start in goal tonight.


Petrovic had a tough game from my standpoint as did the defenceman of the year (just for SND)I thought Petro struggled early on. He was way out of position on the first goal, and Morin was just standing at the side of the net watching the two Calgary forwards screen the goalie.... They really hung Kuemper out to dry on that one.


The powerplay generated some chances but really when you go 0 for 8 you're not going to win many hockey games. Too many blocked shots from the point...I thought the powerplay looked fantastic, I really liked Coetzee back on the point. Martin was Calgary's lone penalty killer on a few of those powerplays. Looks like Red Deer still has a great deal of work to do on their penalty kill as well.


The top line was average at best and defensively poor at times.They could have certainly done a little better job backchecking at times for sure...


edit: Oh yeah, Calgary is a good team...............again. Darn!They will do alright, from the looks of things they are probably going to go as far as their starting goaltender will take them. I can't imagine either coach was really too happy with how their team performed as a whole last night, and it is far too premature to crown any team as a powerhouse just yet.

[rdreb]

I didn't see any change from last year,style off play.
We need a dman who can make a pass or carry the puck,not the same old thing,off dump the puck off the boards,and hope the wing man can get it.
I swear that Mappin was thw worst forward off both teams.They finaly benched him in the third,hope he is out tonight.
STILL SAY TRADE OUR DMAN OFF THE YEAR OR DROP HIM.I like the power play a lot still need to get a man in front,to much passing on the out side,need a little more down low.
Got to say Ferguson won most off the draws last nite.We need to get some one to work with our centre"s on that part of the game.
I think Kuemper is the stater tonite but on a very short string.
Talking to a few off the hard core fans last nihgt,and they are saying if we don't change things,this will be there last year.

[3rebels]

Left after the 8th goal as we couldn't stand (no pun) to watch the Rebs go thru the motions for another year! When the team said that Moron was back, we decided to exercise our non-renewal option. Trade him, send him to Jr. A or let him go, Horrible is too lite of a word to describe the play of a "vc124veteran" player! Maybe then we will come back to watch some more games at the Centrium!! Not until . . . .

[SectionNDeserter]

No team is 100% on opening night, and neither team looked particularly good last night--we just came out short on the goaltending. They will take a few games to get into form for sure, just like the rest of the league. I think some people are jumping the gun a little...

I would really like for Morin to prove me wrong about his commitment to the game, but thus far he has not impressed me at all. If he were stronger in the other end of the ice I would feel better about his contribution to this team, but when he is on the ice in our own end, it is like we are a man short the entire time. I would sooner move Deagle or Esposito back there and just release Morin if he is going to do ridiculous things like just stand at the side of the net and watch 2 players screen his goalie.

I think we will see some different lines/players tonight.

[Rebel~66]

No team is 100% on opening night, and neither team looked particularly good last night--we just came out short on the goaltending.

I agree with the sentiment here but it was a little more than just goaltending, bad as Kuemper was.The defensive coverage was woeful. Just opening night jitters hopefully. I thought that the Hitmen were better than you're giving them credit however. Sure they were not perfect but they were certainly a level above the Rebels.

Actually, I still think this Rebels team is much better than last season. The second line was good, the top line will be better. Morin & Petrovic have to step it up. I still have faith that this season we'll have turned the corner.

[hockey4]

Left after the 8th goal as we couldn't stand (no pun) to watch the Rebs go thru the motions for another year! When the team said that Moron was back, we decided to exercise our non-renewal option. Trade him, send him to Jr. A or let him go, Horrible is too lite of a word to describe the play of a "vc124veteran" player! Maybe then we will come back to watch some more games at the Centrium!! Not until . . . .

I think we need to just calm down a little. I watched this team through preseason, without 4-5 of their top players, and they played the exact opposite last night. You could see it in individual players, how they skated in the previous weeks, and how they were last night. They just had an off night. Coetzee couldnt handle the puck from the start of the game, and we know his potential. And 3rebels, if your prepared to not become a fan becasue you dont like the style of a player, you really arent much of a fan. At the end of the day, you had to renew 3 months ago and there was no way of knowing the team then. Personally, i dont mind Morin, and makes smarter plays than people give him credit for. Yes, on any given night he makes a turnover or two, but you have chosen to only notice those in his game, watch him a bit closer . The people who understand hockey behind the bench obviously see something, or he wouldnt be here.

[rdreb]

They see something About Moron but we are not sure what it is.
What I see is you beat him to the out side most off the time.
He can't move a player infront of the net,he does not have the shoot for the power play,pp is just out to lunch stands there because he can;t move the man out front agian.
that is all i will say for now.

[tiny]

I can't believe how people judge a team on opening night (one of the hardest to play).
No, I don't like some of the things I saw last night BUT I do believe this team is much better than last year and will show it before long.
I did see some things I found kind of interesting:
1. Having Coetzee on the point was exciting. He has a very good shot from there. If we get a little more traffic in front, it could click.
2. Having Ferrero and Nugent-Hopkins together might be great if we have some down-low power with them. They can really make forwards defending look lost. Splitting them on two PP lines might cause defenders more problems.
3. Persson can play North-American style. (dinged one off the inside of the post last night.) I liked preseason with Persson, RNH, and Green on a line.
4. Barnstable will be fine as #2.
5. Great to see Kambeitz rewarded with a goal in his first game of the season.
6. Bell can stay. Will we see Barak in place of Witt tonight?
7. I expect Elson to replace a 4th liner tonight and Esposito to replace Deagle. I think we might have been better to have the 20's in opposite games.

I am still on the bandwagon!!!!!!

[Rebel~66]

I am still on the bandwagon!!!!!!

Actually, tiny, given the last few seasons I think that you'll find that people aren't jumping off the bandwagon already as they were never on it to begin with! :)

I think that they'll be fine. Opening night is tough to play. That's a lot of expectations and pressure on a bunch of teenagers. Still, it is what it is. They play at a high junior level so they have to expect this.

I think it's fine to discuss the game in a critical manner though. That's what a message board, such as this, is for. We need more of that here. SND canniot carry it all alone. This has been a good start. Let's keep it up.

KEEPING THE FAITH!
GO REBELS!

[3rebels]

I never jumped off the bandwagon, my knees wouldn't take it! And we knew last spring that Moron would be back! We just can't seem to make the time available to be at all the games, so we chose the game packages!!Left cause we are just frustrated!! We know it will work out over the course of the season!! 20 years of being a Rebs fan doesn't go away in 1 nite, no matter how bad the team plays!!!

[rdreb]

I am not jumping off the wagon. I have been here to long to do that,it is just a little hard to watch the same thing over agian.
I still think we are in the playoffs with home ice in the first round.
We need to change a few things that is all.
Wally said that they where not ready to play last night,so here"s to a diff.fram off mid tonite.

[Red celtic]

My wife had to tell me to shut up more than once last night as I was yelling skate or move the puck. So I guess I was one of those frusrated fans as well. To see a team with as much potential as this crap the bed was hard to watch. But I to have been on the band wagon (season ticket holder) since 92 and they will have to throw me off the wagon for me to leave. This team will improve just keep being patient.