Hitmen rally falls short as Rebels snatch 4-3 road win at Dome

The Calgary Hitmen took on the Red Deer Rebels at the Saddledome Friday night. (Photo: X@WHLHitmen)

Calgary fell behind early, then staged a furious third-period comeback, only to fall short in a 4-3 loss against the Red Deer Rebels Friday night.

Playing the first of a home-and-away weekend doubleheader with the Rebels, the Hitmen got off to a quick 1-0 lead when Carson Wetsch scored his 22^nd goal of the season early in the first period.

That quickly gave way to a torrent of Red Deer tallies, starting with Ollie Josephson’s shorthanded goal, followed by a power play goal from Kalan Lind that gave the Rebels a 2-1 advantage after one period.

In the second, Red Deer notched two more, from Carson Birnie and Talon Brigley, as they built a 4-1 lead entering the third.

In the third, Calgary bounced back, getting goals from Keets Fawcett and Maxim Muranov to get within a single goal five minutes into the period.

However, a couple penalties slowed Calgary’s roll and Red Deer hung on for the remainder of the period, taking it by a 4-3 decision.

The Rebels outshot Calgary 36-32 on the night.

The two teams do it again Saturday night in Red Deer. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m.