River Fahey scored two goals and Austin Schellenberg added another as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1 in preseason action on Saturday night at the Centrium.

Rebels head coach Brent Sutter was pleased with how the two forwards performed, especially given their ages: 16 and 17 respectively.

“Those kids are young guys that are learning the pace, learning things but certainly River and (Schellenberg) stood out,” Sutter said.

“We knew (Schellenberg) was here last year so we figured he'd bring some skill. River's certainly been a pleasant surprise.”

After a scoreless first period, the Oil Kings forward Davis Koch opened the scoring on the power play mid-way through the second period.

Schellenberg responded late in the frame, scoring on a breakaway.

Austin Schellenberg ties the game in the second period.

Byron Fancy started the game in net for the Rebels and stopped Oil Kings forward Nick Bowman on a breakaway of his own in the dying seconds of the period to keep the score tied.

Fancy stopped 16 of 17 Oil Kings shots in 40 minutes. He was replaced by Riley Lamb to start the third.

The Rebels took the lead on Fahey's first goal, which came from the slot early in the third period. He added an empty-netter to seal the game.

It was the second night of a back-to-back for the Rebels, who defeated the Calgary Hitmen 5-3 on Friday.

Sutter said it was nice to get the win Saturday night but it wasn't his top priority for the preseason.

“The most important thing is (for) the team to play well, and play hard and compete and see things that all the managers and scouts and coaches want to see,” he said.

Roster cuts are coming but he's been impressed with the youth that was a part of training camp.

“I do like our kids a lot and even the ones that have gone home already. It's about developing and making sure we don't put young kids in tough spots and making sure everybody's playing. That's what you want.”