Tier One Rears it's ugly head.

Since the explosive start to the season, the Rebels have dropped 4 in a row.  

After the loss to the Chill, the Rebels travelled to St. Albert to face the Crude once again.  Penalties were the downfall that night.  Rebels lost 7-4.  The Fort Saskatchewan Record reporter Lindsay Morey interviewed assistant coach Trevor Mark and Offensive player Logan Bruce on the loss.  That story can be found here.

Heading into the May long weekend, The Sherwood Park Titans came to town for a Thursday night match up.  The Titans came into the JRC with a high powered offence and a tough defence that was hard to beat.  The Rebels got a lesson in lacrosse that night, losing 17-2 to the Rebels.  The Fort Saskatchewan Record reporter Lindsay Morey talked to Trevor on that loss and filed this story.

Jack Snider dives across the crease.  Photo Courtesy of Janelle Jaksitz

The latest loss came to another powerhouse team in the RMLL.  The Calgary Shamrocks entered the JRC having just beat the formidable Titans.  The Rebels enjoyed a 2-2 tie early on in the first period but that quickly evaporated and the first frame ended up being 9-2 for the Shamrocks.  In the second period, the Rebels gained some life and tightened up the game for a 12-7 second period score.  The third period was the ultimate downfall with the Shamrocks scoring 4 unanswered goals for a 16-7 final score.

The Rebels would like to that the fans that came out last night.  The players and staff definitely appreciate the support and always strive to put on a good show for the fans.  We have a standing invite to the whole of the Fort Saskatchewan City Council and also the staff of the City Recreation department to be our guests at any home game.

Colby Bannister Signs an Autograph for a young fan.  Photo Courtesy of Janelle Jaksitz

The Rebels next game is down in Red Deer on June 3rd where we take on the Red Deer Rampage.  Our next home game is June 4th at noon where we take on the Saskatchewan SWAT.  As always, our schedule can be found here.

Rebels Suffer First Loss

After the high of a shutout win the previous night,  Sunday afternoon came fast.  We knew we had to focus on this game as the 3-0 Calgary Chill rolled into Fort Saskatchewan.  This was going to be a test and that test was tough.

After a back and forth first period and the score only 3-2 for the Chill, we knew we could run with this team.  We got up on the Chill 4-3 in the middle frame but got into penalty trouble and gave up 4 unanswered goals.  The score ended up 7-5 for them after the second period.

The third period started fast as we cut the lead to 7-6 right out of the gate.  Unfortunately, the experience of the Chill prevailed and the final score ended at 10-7.

Even with the loss, the Rebels remain in first place in the North.

Our next battle on the floor is this Friday night at 9 pm.  We travel west to  St. Albert to renew the rivalry with the Crude.  Our hosts hope to see plenty of fans from both the Rebels and the Crude as all the proceeds from admission and the 50-50 are being donated to help the victims of the Fort McMurray wildfire.

*Updated May 13, 2016 to reflect being first in the standings.

Rebels rout SWAT 10-0

On Saturday night at the JRC, the Saskatchewan SWAT rolled into town for their first game of their season. The Rebels were ready for them.

Goaltender and first overall draft pick Zach Yopek-Stabel got the nod in net and he sure proved he belongs between those pipes. Yopek-Stabel played unbelievable the entire night and came up with a rare shutout win.

Couple that with another strong performance from the defence and the SWAT were visibly frustrated that they couldn't put the ball into the net. Our defence stood strong and when the SWAT did manage to get in tight, Yopek-Stabel was there to stop them.

Last night's win brings the Rebels to 3-0 on the season and into first place in the North division. 

Join us today for our match up against the Calgary Chill, 2pm at the JRC. 

2016 Season Starts With a Bang!

The 2016 Rebels went into the RMLL season looking to prove we belong.  Not only did we do that, we proved that we can win.

Friday night the season began in St. Albert against the Crude.  The game started with back and forth goals but soon we pulled ahead and didn't look back.  On the back of 5 goals from Jack Snider and some great goaltending from Brady Johnson, we took game one of the season 14-5.  The offence showed lots of depth by adding to the goals and the defence was strong and wouldn't back down.

Sunday found us at home hosting the Rockyview Silvertips.  The Silvertips lost a close one the night before to the Edmonton Warriors so we knew they would come out firing.  We matched their intensity and then some and were on top 7-1 after the first period.  The game was a fierce battle until the end but we never backed down.  We ended up winning this one handily 12-4.  Again Jack Snider lead the scoring with 6 goals.  Brady Johnson had another great game backing up a defence that showed they were a force to be reckoned with.  That coupled with the depth we have on offence the Silvertips were frustrated all game.

Join us this coming Saturday  for another battle, this time against the Saskatchewan Swat.  Game time is 8pm at the JRC.

Rebels Pub Night!

Join us on Saturday, April 23rd for our first annual pub night!

Pub night is at Potts Bar and Grill in Fort Saskatchewan.  

Tickets are $20 and include a free drink and access to the silent auction.  

Purchase tickets from any of the players, coaches and staff. If you can't find us, use the contact form on our website and we will contact you asap! 

This event is 18+ 

We hope to see you there! 

2016 Rebels Announced!

The Coaches and staff are excited to announce the 2016 roster.

Here's the list of players for 2016:

• Zach Yopek-Stabel
• Jack Snider
• Will Flink
• Logan Bruce
• Jordan Diewert
• Ethan Wong
• Spencer Milne
• Nolan Yaremko
• Colten Perdersen
• Bailey Whelan
• Colby Bannister
• Spencer Markovich
• Jayden Gaucher
• Tyson Ferbey
• Logan Noyen
• Brayden Rocque
• Reece Potter
• Jordan Hinteregger
• Brett Gubersky
• Cody Gubersky
• Noah Jackson
• Tanner Marouelli
• Tyler Cole
• Dustin Maclean
• Brady Johnson
• Jake McChesney

Please join us on May 1 at 2:00 pm at the JRC for our home opener!

REBELS PARTICIPATE IN THEIR 1ST EVER JUNIOR B DRAFT!

It was a big night for the Junior B Rebels. Their first ever Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League draft was set for February 9th and they were ready to go. Needs captured, player list prepared, mock drafts run through. Armed with the first overall pick, the Rebels new that all eyes would be on them and they didn’t disappoint.

With their first selection, the Rebels proudly selected Zach Yopek-Stabel from the South Edmonton Warriors! Zach is fantastic young goaltender. He is a four time Team Alberta member and was seen by many as the prize of the draft. With the one of last year’s goalies, Lee Westwood, aging out and Junior A potential for returnee, Brady Johnson, the coaching staff knew this was an area that needed attention.

Co-Coach Kevin Parker is very pleased with this selection. “I have seen Zach playing against my kids for a long time and I know him and his family from playing together in field lacrosse in Edmonton. He is a great kid! He is highly skilled and comes from a great family. He fits our needs moving forward.”

With their second pick, the Rebels filled another hole, selecting Jordan Diewert from the North Edmonton Wizards. “We have a shortage of left handed offensive players and Jordan has the potential to fill that need for a long time. We were a bit surprised that he was available in the second round, so we jumped at the chance,” explains Co-Coach Trevor Mark.

The draft continued with the Rebels selecting Tanner Marouelli from the Warriors in the third, Nolan Yaremko (West Edmonton Blues) in the fourth, then Spencer Milne (Wizards) 5th, Liam Potgieter from the (Parkland Posse) 6th, Noah Jackson from the (Warriors) 7th, Jordan Hinteregger from the (Wizards) 8th, Jarrett Eyben from the Vermillion Roar 9th, Hayden Protsch from the Vermillion Roar 10th, Brayden Rocque (Rebels) 11th, Izaac Momoka (Rebels) 12th Joshua Ilkuf (Titans ) 13th, Dillon Burak (Titans ) 14th, Justin Blaze (Posse) 15th, Luke Samson (Rebels) 16th,  Brayden Stelmack (Rebels) 16th

The Rebels worked a post draft trade sending their 2nd round pick in the 2017draft to the Titans for Ethan Wong (Wizards)

General Manager Dave McGarva says “our draft strategy was pretty sound. We knew that we wanted the Midget “A” league’s top goalie from last year, players off the Wizards Midget “A” City Championship team and some solid character players from the Warriors, Blues, Posse and Titans. We suspected that our Rebels Midgets would fall under the radar because they played in the less scouted B division. We were right on all counts except we left the Rebels players one pick too late.” The Juniors were able to draft all of the graduating Fort Saskatchewan Midget players with the exception of Drayden LaFramboise, who went to the Warriors. “He was our next pick. We were just a bit late.”

“With our base of players from last year’s Junior B Tier II Provincial Championship team we are looking to bring these young players into the fold as quickly as possible. Many of them bring the experience of winning with them, fitting our culture and will add some new dimensions to our playing style”, adds Co-Coach Trevor Mark.

Background

After four provincial championships and a runner up finish in their eight seasons of play at the Junior B Tier II level, the Fort Saskatchewan Junior Rebels are taking the next step. On November 22, 2015, the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League voted unanimously to make the Rebels part of the 12 team Pan-prairie league. The Tier II Rebels have enjoyed the greatest success of any club in any division in Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) history, sporting a 120-23-1 record since the clubs inception in 2006.

GRADUATING 2015 JUNIOR REBELS GARNER MORE HONOURS AT SENIOR B DRAFT!

Well … that’s impressive!

Six months after their provincial championship run, more accolades for the Junior B Tier II players. All seven graduating players, who finished the season with the team, were selected in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League Senior B Draft on February 9th. As there is no Senior A lacrosse in the province, this represents the highest level of the game played in the province. Teams are often made up of professional players who call the Edmonton area home after the National Lacrosse League season wraps up.

Even more impressive is that Senior B teams had their choice from Junior A and Junior B – Tier I teams across the province and used their selections to secure the rights to our Junior B – Tier II players.

New General Manager Dave McGarva says “I am new to the organization. I knew these guys from a fan’s perspective. Always kind of thought they were the ‘real deal’ but this confirms it!”

Jared Schmidt, the 2015 team captain, started things off being selected 7th overall by the Edmonton Warriors. He was closely followed by six other of his teammates, Kearn Cleveley (St. Albert Miners), Jack Cunningham (Warriors), Riley Durston (St. Albert Miners), Lee Jackman (Warriors), Kieron Stannard (Warriors) and Dylan Wells (Warriors).

“It is really gratifying for the boys to get that kind of commitment from the Senior B organizations”, beams Co-Coach Kevin Parker. “They were pretty comfortable with the idea that they were good Tier II players, but this just reaffirms that they are good lacrosse players. Period.”

This bodes well for the Rebels as they take on the latest challenge, their move to Tier I for this season. “This confirms that our development model is on the right path. We are improving the athletes that commit to our program. There is no greater complement”, adds Co-Coach Trevor Mark.

MOVING UP!

After four provincial championships and a runner up finish in their eight seasons of play at the Junior B Tier II level, the Fort Saskatchewan Junior Rebels are taking the next step. On November 22, 2015, the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League voted unanimously to make the Rebels part of the 12 team Pan-prairie league. The Tier II Rebels have enjoyed the greatest success of any club in any division in Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) history, sporting a 120-23-1 record since the club's inception in 2006.

 “It was time. The club has evolved to the point we were favourites in every game we played this year from preseason to the provincial final. In order to continue to develop we needed a greater challenge and boy, do we have it!” says Rebels Co-coach Kevin Parker.

 “We felt that this was the year for the jump”, adds Dave McGarva, the club’s new General Manager, “The Rebels had a dominant run in the late 2000s winning three consecutive provincial titles. At that point, they were forced up to Tier I at the end of the natural talent cycle. This time we have made the decision and approached the RMLL from a position of strength.”

 This time the Rebels are well positioned for the move. They have a strong core of returning veterans and they have a clear five-year strategic plan. As part of the decision the RMLL awarded the Rebels the first pick overall in the Midget player draft and were afforded the cost saving measure of not having to go to Winnipeg in their first season.

 “Both the first pick and the limited travel were very big for us. Moving from a Northern Alberta league to one that includes Calgary, Red Deer, Saskatoon and Winnipeg, our budget has more than doubled”, notes McGarva. “But we think that we have a good approach, we have started the conversation with a number of local businesses, not with our hand out but with the question of ‘What can we do for you?’”

 “First and foremost we want to engage the community. We have 25 young men that have benefitted enormously from being involved in the sport of lacrosse in this city. We want to give back to minor lacrosse, local not for profits and the local business community.”