The Red Pheasant Rebels won the Jim Neilson Invitational Tournament this past weekend at the Access Communications Centre (Whelan George/Facebook).

By Austin Mattes

Jim Neilson Invitational

‘It feels special to win at home’: Red Pheasant Rebels claim JNI tournament crown

Apr 14, 2025 | 4:04 PM

Glory was a little sweeter than usual for the Red Pheasant Rebels this past weekend as they not only beat the Round Lake Bears 5-0 to win the Jim Neilson Invitational (JNI) Tournament, but they also did it in front of a home crowd at the Access Communications Centre.

Rebels Veteran, Ryan Baptiste said it was a special weekend not only for the players but for the community too.

“It was pretty emotional for everybody, we’ve won this tournament three of the past four years and now being at home this year after getting second last year in Saskatoon. It feels special to win at home in front of our family, friends and community and to be able to play against some of the best,” he said.

The Rebels opened the tournament in strong fashion on Friday, getting an 8-1 blowout win over the Piikani Reign in their first game, setting the tone early with a strong offensive attack.

However, they stumbled slightly in their second game on Saturday, dropping a close 3-2 battle in a shootout to the Cross Lake Islanders, sending them to the ‘B’ side of the bracket.

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It didn’t take long for the Rebels to regroup on Sunday though as they edged past Alexis Pahashna 2-0 in their third game, with physical defence and clutch goaltending proving to be the difference. Then in the quarterfinals, the intensity amplified as Red Pheasant battled Canoe Lake to a 1-1 draw before pulling off a 2-1 shootout win to advance to the semi-finals.

In the semis, it was a rematch against Cross Lake and this time, the Rebels got their revenge, holding the Islanders to zero goals throughout the contest. Red Peasant only found the back of the net once, but that’s all that was needed to close the game 1-0 and move them on to the finals.

For the championship game, Round Lake saw the Rebels at their very best. From the opening face-off, Red Pheasant was filled with adrenaline from already playing three games that same day. This resulted in non-stop pressure and relentless physicality that wore down the Bears. Once the Rebels found some offence, they never looked back.

Round Lake did have their fair share of good chances later in the game, but Rebels goalie Kai Edmonds was a brick wall who shut down everything that came his way. Red Pheasant ended up sealing the deal with two late goals to eventually go on and get a hard-earned 5-0 shutout victory to take the title.

For Red Pheasant, this championship was more than just a trophy, it was symbol of pride and community, said Baptiste.

“I can’t say enough about how proud I am and how far we’ve come and the direction that we are going. There are kids that are two to three years old wearing our Rebels gear and see us as role models and you do everything you can to be positive and show them the right way. We’re a big family and we are proud to be from the Red Pheasant and Battleford area,” Baptiste said.

Edmonds was named the Top Goalie and MVP of the tournament, while Rebels forward, Brett Hyland was awarded the Top Forward of the tournament.

Along with the title, the Rebels also took home the grand prize of $30,000.

The Cote Selects also ended up beating Saulteaux to win the championship in the Masters (45+) Non-Contact Division.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes