Owen Crudale turned aside all 27 shots he faced for his second shutout of the year to lead the Rebels to a 3 – 0 win over the Hat Tricks to close out the 2024-25 season. Abzal Alibek, Brock Jones and Caesar Björk hit the back of the net. The Rebels went 2 for 5 on the powerplay and took a season high 57 shots on net.
The Rebels finished in seventh place with 26 wins on the season for 55 points, two points behind the New Hampshire Mountain Kings for the final playoff spot.
In all, it was a very celebratory evening. In front of an extremely large crowd on hand for Fan Appreciation Night, the team saluted all the billet families who have given so much time and effort to host the players during the season.
After a scoreless opening period, Alibek scored the eventual game winner at 5:05 into the middle stanza. As a Danbury defender tried to intercept Joe Stauber’s outlet pass at center ice, it went off his stick and went directly to Charlie Spencer. As Spencer gained the line, by the far side boards, he went towards the faceoff dot and made a centering pass out front to Alibek who took a backdoor, one-timer that beat Danbury netminder Tyler Spokane for Alibek’s sixth goal of the season.
With three minutes remaining in the second, numerous altercations occurring resulting in the Rebels receiving the man advantage. A minute later Jones doubled the Rebels lead. Ruslan Jamaldinov picked up the loose puck at the top of the far side faceoff circle and passed the biscuit to Jones in the slot who stepped up and took a wrist shot that beat Spokane blocker side for Jones’ eleventh of the season.
Danbury’s Joey Anderson was called for hooking with 8:17 remaining in the game. Fourteen seconds later Björk closed out the scoring to make it a 3 – 0 game. As the puck wrapped around the near side boards, it went back to Jamaldinov at the point. Jamaldinov passed it over to Bryce Strand on his right at the top of zone. Strand passed the biscuit down low to Björk at the far side faceoff dot and Björk took a one-timer that beat Spokane for Björk’s nineteenth of the season. It also gave him 50 points on the year which led the team.
The win was Crudale’s 21st of the year, which ranked in thirteenth most in the league. It also gives him 24 in his Rebels career placing him for fifth in most wins in franchise history. Spokane turned aside 54 of 57 shots. Click HERE for the complete box score.
