From the Red Deer Rustlers.. photo courtesy of Dennis Berg

RED DEER SENIOR RUSTLERS TAKE FIRST NCHL LOSS

The Red Deer Senior Rustlers drop to a 6-1 record after a 3-0 loss to the Daysland Northstars

The Red Deer Senior Rustlers winning streak came to an end Saturday night, as they took their first loss of the season in Camrose, a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Daysland Northstars.

After a slow start to the game, the Senior Rustlers fell behind 2-0 late in the opening frame, with Lane Lightning scoring a pair of goals for the Northstars. The Rustlers were outshot 15-8 in that period.

Although the Rustlers picked up their play in the second and third periods, outshooting Daysland 16-10 and 15-11, respectively, they could not solve Joey DesRosiers, who was outstanding in net for the Lightning, stopping all 39 shots he faced.

The Northstars put the final nail in the coffin with two minutes to play, scoring on a 5-on-3 powerplay to make it a 3-0 game. Brett Bothwell was solid between the pipes for Red Deer, making 33 saves in his first loss of the season.

“Overall I think we played a pretty good game, we just had 10 bad minutes in the first, and then ran into a hot goalie,” said assistant captain Dustin Moore. “Some games you get away with a bad start, and some times you don’t. This time, it cost us.”

Moore, who leads the team with 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) in six games, said the game was a good measuring stick for the Rustlers.

“Daysland is a strong team, and they played hard tonight,” he said. “It’s disappointing to take our first loss of the season, but I think we learned a lot as a team and can take a lot from this game.”

Despite the loss, the Senior Rustlers still sit atop the NCHL with 12 points, one ahead of Morniville and two ahead of Westlock, though both teams hold a game in hand.

With Friday night’s game against the Whitecourt Wild in Mayerthorpe postponed due to poor road conditions, Saturday’s tilt was the lone game of the weekend for the Rustlers, who now have a weekend off before a pair of road games against the Eckville Eagles and Morinville Kings on November 23 and 24, respectively.

For more information on the Red Deer Senior Rustlers, contact [email protected], or follow the team on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.