Ryan Bunting and Luke Janviriya scored powerplay goals while Nick Bianchi and Drew Belleson scored even strength to lead the Rebels to a 4 – 3 win over the New Mexico Ice Wolves in the Rebels last game of the NAHL Showcase. The Rebels were up 4 – 1 with less than four minutes remaining in the contest.
The Rebels finish the 2024 Showcase with a 1 – 2 record.
New Mexico’s Bryce Johnson was called for high sticking at 9:15 into the opening period. A little over a minute later Bunting gave the Rebels a 1 – 0 lead. Bryce Strand set up the play behind his own net and made a long stretch pass to Billy Sheridan at center ice. As Sheridan gained the line along the near side boards, he passed the biscuit up to Bunting at the faceoff circle and Bunting backhanded the puck past Ice Wolves goalie Jackson Fuller for Bunting’s third goal of the season and second in the Showcase.
The Ice Wolves’ Johnny Johannson was called for hooking at 1:26 into the middle stanza. Just twenty-one seconds later Janviriya doubled the Rebels lead.
Ruslan Jamaldinov set up the play inside the offensive zone half wall and sent it back to Janviriya back at the point who immediately sent a pass to Charles Panchsin at the far side faceoff circle. Panchisin sent a return to Janviriya who took a wrist shot that found its way through a screen and past Fuller for Janviriya’s second goal of the season.
Brock Jones was called for hooking at 4:58 into the second period to give New Mexico the man advantage. A minute and a half later, the Ice Wolves Sean Gibbons cut the Rebels lead in half. New Mexico’s Ethan Hull picked up the loose puck at center ice and skated into the offensive zone. As Hull gained the line, he passed the biscuit to Bryce Johnson on his right. Johnson made a long, cross-ice pass to Gibbons who took a one-timer that beat a stretched-out Owen Crudale to make a 2 – 1 game.
Nick Bianchi gave the Rebels a 3 – 1 lead at 7:50 into the third period. With twelve seconds remaining on four-on-four hockey, Sheridan gained the offensive zone line. As Sheridan reached the bottom of the far side faceoff circle, he made a backhanded pass to the slot that Bianchi redirected past Fuller for Bianchi’s first NAHL goal.
With 6:49 remaining in the third, Belleson had jus entered the offensive zone and intercepted a New Mexico clearing pass and Belleson stepped up and took a wrist shot from just inside the far side faceoff circle that beat Fuller long side to make it a 4 – 1 game.
Despite being down by three, New Mexico didn’t give up, scoring two goals a minute and eleven seconds apart starting with 3:36 left in the third. As Thomas Neu’s slashing penalty had just expired, New Mexico’s Tim Hewko picked up the loose puck and lifted it up and over a fallen Crudale to make it a 4 – 2 game.
With 1:12 remaining the regulation and Fuller pulled for the extra attacker, New Mexico’s Adrian Marek picked up the rebound in the slot and shot it into the back of the net for his first NAHL Goal to make it a 4 – 3 game but it wasn’t enough as the Rebels shut the door and held onto win.
Crudale stopped 41 of 44 shots while Fuller turned aside 25 of 29. Click HERE for the complete box score.
The Rebels will resume divisional play next weekend when they travel to the Piney Orchard Arena for a two-game series against the two-time defending East Division champion Maryland Black Bears.
