SPECIAL TEAMS LEAD REBELS TO WIN OVER OIL KINGS, SEMIFINAL BERTH

LEDUC, Alta. – Scott Feser’s power play goal late in the second period stood up as the game-winner as the Red Deer Rebels clinched a semifinal berth at the 2012 TELUS Cup with a 3-2 win over the Leduc Oil Kings on Wednesday night.

The game was the first all-Alberta match-up at the National Midget Championship since the Calgary Northstars beat the Sherwood Park Chain Gang 2-1 in the gold medal game of the 1991 Air Canada Cup in Calgary.

Down 1-0 after 20 minutes – the first goal the Rebels had allowed to the Oil Kings all season – Red Deer (2-0-1) used special teams to turn the game around in the second period, scoring twice with the man advantage and once shorthanded.

Nick Glackin and Ty Mappin had the other goals for the Rebels, who are back in the semifinals after missing out on the medal round at their last TELUS Cup appearance, in 2010.

Doug Morris and Robert Cain scored for Leduc (2-1), which lost for the first time at the tournament. Morris ignited the home crowd just 2:04 after the opening face-off and Cain scored with 49 seconds left to pull the Oil Kings within one, but Leduc dropped to 0-3 against the Rebels this season, including regular season play in the Alberta Midget Hockey League.

Red Deer beat Leduc 3-0 on Dec. 2 at Red Deer Arena, and 7-0 in Leduc on Jan. 5.

The Rebels are back on the ice at the Leduc Recreation Centre on Thursday afternoon (4 p.m. MT) when they face the Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin in a battle of the last two undefeated teams at this year’s TELUS Cup, while Leduc looks to rebound against the Saskatoon Contacts in the late game (7:30 p.m. MT).