He’s b-a-a-a-a-ck.

Red Deer Rebels netminder Shane Bendera has shrugged off a slow start and returned to the form that he displayed through most of the 1999-2000 Western Hockey League season.

After blanking Prince George 7-0 last week and allowing just two goals in an overtime victory in Kamloops a few nights later, Bendera’s numbers — 2.51 GAA, .897 save percentage — are back in line with a goaltender of his calibre.

Yes, life is good for Bendera and the 15-3-1 Rebels, who host the slumping Medicine Hat Tigers tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Centrium.

"Shane has really found his groove. Early in the year he seemed to be struggling a bit to find his form but right now he seems to be playing with a lot of confidence," said Rebels assistant coach Dallas Gaume.

"He's practising better. He's working very hard and that's where it all starts."

The 18-year-old goalie was fighting the puck earlier in the season, but he's relaxed and confident these days.

"I've been feeling pretty good about myself lately," he admitted. "Hopefully it will continue."

Last winter, Bendera carried the ball basically the whole way. Now, with Michael Garnett sharing the crease and sporting the league's top GAA of 2.15, the pressure's not the same.

"Brent (head coach Sutter) said he's going to go with whoever's playing well and lately Garnett has been playing well and I think I have too," said Bendera. "The rotation is working pretty well. The team is confident with either of us in the net."

Bendera, who will watch Garnett play tonight, then start against the visiting Kelowna Rockets Saturday, was selected by the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets in June’s NHL entry draft.

He performed admirably at the Blue Jackets' rookie and main camps in September, but something was missing when he returned to Red Deer.

"The first couple of games I was kind of shaky. For some reason, I didn't feel comfortable," said Bendera. "But right now I feel I'm at the top of my game. I've been sharp the entire 60 minutes lately and I have to keep that up."

Splitting the duties with Garnett has been an adjustment for Bendera, considering he appeared in 69 games last season.

"And last year he would see anywhere from 30 to 40 shots a game. Now we're giving up in the neighbourhood of 18 to 25 on a lot of nights," said Gaume. "That's a bit of an adjustment, too. You need to be mentally sharp and focused at all times."

Obviously, Bendera and Garnett have both been fixated on the action.

"The key is to always follow the puck," said Bendera. "We don’t give up a lot of shots but there's always going to be a few good scoring chances."

Because both netminders are 18 and could play another two years in the WHL, they're not in a big rush to assume the majority of the workload. The team is on a roll and they're both contributing in a big way.

"We're good friends and we compete against each other in practice. Even then we don't want a goal going in," said Bendera.

"They support each other well, they push each other in a positive way," added Gaume. "They both understand the situation here, that we've got two good goalies who both need to play. It's not fair to play one all the time and sit the other.

They understand the situation and they've both been very positive about it.

"I think's it great to have two goalies that could be a No. 1 guy on most teams. The bottom line is we need both of them. I think it's huge to have that much depth at that position."

----------
Rookie winger Shay Stephenson will make his WHL regular-season debut with the Rebels tonight, after being sidelined since mid-September with a broken hand. He'll line up with Devin Francon and Ladislav Kouba, unless Kouba, who has a touch of tonsillitis, can't go. In that event, Martin Vymazal will enter the lineup.

----------
Rebels defenceman Derek Meech has been named to Team Western and will compete in the Under-17 World Challenge Dec. 29-Jan. 4 in Pictou County, N.S. Also selected to the team are two Red Deer prospects, defenceman Cody Holzapfel and forward Chris Neiszner. Both are playing in the Saskatchewan Midget Hockey League, Holzapfel in Regina and Neiszner in Tisdale.