Rebels 4 Wheat Kings 2

BRANDON — Win or lose, Red Deer Rebels GM/coach Brent Sutter insists that his players control their emotions.

To date, the Rebels have handled their regular-season success very  well. Of course, they haven’t experienced anything but success since opening night, with their most recent setback — a 2-1 exhibition loss to Prince George Sept. 16 — a distant memory.

The Rebels stormed the Keystone Centre Monday afternoon and left feeling thankful for a 4-2 Western Hockey League victory, their seventh in a row out of the gate.

"I've told the guys, let’s not worry about our record. We know we're going to lose games, let’s just make sure we deal with our wins and losses properly," said Sutter.

"Right now, we're winning, and I want to make sure these guys don't get swollen heads. They’ve been good so far."

The Rebels take their 7-0 slate into Moose Jaw Wednesday for a meeting with the Warriors. In order to take an 8-0 record into Prince Albert for the final test of their five-game East Division trip two nights later, they’ll need an improved effort over Monday’s outing.

Despite the victory, Sutter didn’t particularly enjoy the view.

"Overall, our team play wasn't that great," he said. "Defensively, we were looser than we have been. We gave up too many odd-man breaks.

"I guess if you're a good team you find a way to win, but you also have to nail the little things in the butt before they become big things."

Kyle Wanvig staked the Rebels to a 2-0 lead before many of the 2,360 fans had settled in their seats, scoring just 17 seconds into the contest and potting a power-play goal at 2:53.

"That's always a concern. Whenever you get the early lead you wonder if the team is going to become complacent," said Sutter.

Jan Fadrny cut the lead to 2-1 at 5:18 when he stole the puck from Rebels defenceman Jeff Woywitka, skated in untouched and slipped the puck past goalie Shane Bendera.

But Justin Mapletoft restored the two-goal cushion — notching the eventual game-winner in the process — at 11:11, firing the rebound of a Colby Armstrong shot past netminder Geoff McIntosh.

With Rebels Devon Francon and Jim Vandermeer serving minor penalties late in the second period, the Wheat Kings pulled to within one on a goal by Reagan Leslie.

Neither team applied much pressure in the final frame. The Wheat Kings pulled McIntosh in the final minute, but the move back-fired when Armstrong scored into an empty net with 11 seconds left.

The victory kept Red Deer one point behind first-place Kootenay (7-1-0-1) in the Central Division and also served as another lesson in team bonding.

"The guys stuck up for each other today during a couple of scrums," said Sutter. "In that respect, we've come a long way as a team in the last year."

Bendera and McIntosh each turned aside 23 shots.

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 -  Sutter flew out of Winnipeg this morning to attend today's general managers' meetings in Calgary. Following the meetings, he'll drive to Moose Jaw with Warriors GM Ralph Schmidt.

 -  Schmidt just completed a tour of West Division cities, attempting to cut a trade for disgruntled centre Jamie Lundmark. A first-round pick of the New York Rangers last year, Lundmark had refused to report to the Warriors and sits at home in St. Albert.

 -  Former Red Deer Optimist Chiefs captain and defenceman Craig Perry, 18, has been traded from Seattle to Spokane for future considerations.