The Rebels Hockey Academy and Queen City Young Guns delivered a back-and-forth thriller, with the Rebels ultimately securing a hard-fought 3-2 win. The action ignited early in the first period as the Young Guns struck first, with Lewis Little finding the net just under five minutes in to give the visitors the lead. The Rebels, however, responded with a quick one-two punch. Cooper Friesen tied the game at 2:17, assisted by Barrett Nellis, and just 38 seconds later, Parker Lofstrom put the home side ahead, converting a setup from Jack Clement to cap off a wild opening frame that saw the Rebels take a 2-1 lead into the intermission.
The second period saw the Rebels capitalize on their momentum and a key penalty. After the Young Guns took a body checking penalty early in the period, the Rebels' power play went to work. Barrett Nellis, who had an assist earlier, became the goal-scoring hero, netting what would stand as the game-winning goal at 1:25 with an assist from Luke Clark. The Rebels carried their 3-1 lead into a tense third period, where they were forced to weather a storm as the Young Guns pushed hard, outshooting the Rebels 11-11 in the final frame.
Queen City's pressure finally paid off midway through the third when Hayden Wickenheiser scored, assisted by Jordan Goertzen and Austin Lucci, to cut the deficit to 3-2 and set up a frantic finish. Despite the Young Guns' relentless push and a late power play chance from a tripping penalty, the Rebels' defense held firm. The goaltenders, though their specific stats weren't tracked, were busy all night, facing a combined 48 shots. In the end, the Rebels' early offensive burst and timely power-play goal proved just enough to secure the narrow victory.
