Oil Kings edge Rebels 3-1 in Red Deer home opener despite being outshot
Edmonton's Ethan Simcoe stopped 41 of 42 shots as the Oil Kings spoiled Red Deer's season-opening crowd on Saturday night.
The Red Deer Rebels dropped their WHL home opener 3-1 to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Saturday, despite outshooting Edmonton 42-26. It was the second straight game to open the 2026-27 season in which Red Deer held a large shot advantage but failed to convert it into a win.
Edmonton opened the scoring on the power play 12:30 into the first period when a Jensen Marsh shot was redirected in by Rebels defenceman Jake Missura. Red Deer forward Kalder Varga tied it late in the period after collecting the puck off a faceoff in the slot. The Oil Kings retook the lead early in the third when a shot bounced awkwardly off the boards and was accidentally knocked into the net by Rebels goaltender Matthew Kondro's skate, then added an empty-net goal with 47.9 seconds remaining.
Kondro finished with 23 saves on 25 shots, while Edmonton's Ethan Simcoe stopped 41 of 42. The Oil Kings also won the special-teams battle, scoring twice on six power plays while the Rebels went 0-for-7 with the man advantage. Head coach Brent Kisio said the team created enough chances but needs more traffic in front of the net.
Red Deer, now 0-1-0-1 to start the season, was without captain Beckett Hamilton, who is attending the Colorado Avalanche's training camp. The Rebels next play in Lethbridge on Sept. 25 before returning home to face the Medicine Hat Tigers on Sept. 26.
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