Rebels look to draw even
Western hosts Eastern Dukes in big Game 4 in Tyne Valley on March 22
The Western Rebels will look to put home-ice advantage to good use and even up the best-of-seven P.E.I. under-16 AAA hockey championship series.
The Rebels will host the Eastern Dukes in Game 4 at the Cavendish Farms Events Centre in Tyne Valley at 7:30 p.m.
The Rebels made it a 2-1 series on March 20, claiming a 4-1 win in Pownal.
Brett Gallant, head coach of the Rebels, hopes his team will be able to carry the momentum from Game 3 into Game 4.
“We gave a quick goal in Game 3, but we were able to bounce back and bring home the win,” said Gallant. “Going into Game 4, we just have to keep it simple, play smart hockey and get the win.”
Will Zafiris, head coach of the Dukes, hopes his team will bounce back after Game 3.
"We started good in Game 3. We got an early goal, which is always nice, but weren’t able to get anything else through,” said Zafiris. “We played great in Games 1 and 2 and got a little off track in Game 3, but if we can get back to our style of play, I’m confident we’ll bounce back.”
Despite the loss in Game 3, Zafiris knows what his team needs to improve on ahead of Game 4.
“It was a tough loss, but we did a lot of the little things right,” said Zafiris. “We want to get out here and get a good skate in, we have a couple things that we want to work on, but the key is to keep going.”
Both coaches know what their teams need to improve on, but unfortunately, for Gallant and the Rebels, they’ve been hit by a flu bug.
“We usually practise Tuesday and Wednesday, but this week we had nine guys out with sickness, and it wasn’t
much of a practice,” said Gallant. “We're hoping to have a full team practice before Game 4, just to work on the small things.”
Despite holding a 2-1 series lead, Zafiris and the Dukes know no lead is safe when it comes to the playoffs.
“We don’t want to take anything for granted,” said Zafiris. “Having the lead is nice, but we are just going to take it one game at a time.”
Gallant is looking forward to playing in front of the Rebels’ home crowd as they try to even the series.
“We have a great facility and a great set of fans behind us,” said Gallant. “I hope that the boys will enjoy the atmosphere and use it to our advantage.”