Rebels host Hitmen

I have no problem predicting a Rebels victory tonight.

Why so bold, you ask?

The Rebels have that somewhat peculiar habit some teams get where they play to the level of their opponent. The better the opposition, the better they play. Last weekend is a prime example... the Rebels rose to the occasion (albeit after a slow start) in a win over Brandon before falling flat on their face in Swift Current.

Captain Adam Kambeitz admitted as much yesterday, "We've been struggling against the lower teams but I know that teams ahead of us we always play really well against."

The Rebels certainly are not the first team to suffer from this syndrome... still doesn't make it any less frustrating for fans (and yours truly) to watch.

But here's the thing... the Rebels cannot expect to get away with playing .500 hockey and expect to make the playoffs. With five of their next seven games at home, the time is now for the Rebels to put together some sort of winning streak and get themselves back in the playoff mix.

The seemingly endless amount of injury news continues... Marc Mackenzie is the latest victim. He fell awkwardly into the boards in Swift Current suffering an upper body injury. Mackenzie was taken for x-rays which came back negative. Today, he will be re-evaluated but for the time being he is listed as 'week-to-week' which really sucks for the newly-acquired 18-year-old forward. Mackenzie had settled in nicely on the Rebels third line and was even starting to put up points when he suffered the injury. Let's hope for the best.

As always, you can catch tonight's Rebels / Hitmen game live on 106.7 The Drive (www.1067thedrive.fm) starting with the pregame show at 6:30 and puck drop at 7:00pm.