The Kelowna Rockets will be without Jackson Whistle, their starting goaltender, for a week or two, or maybe even three, after he underwent an appendectomy on Friday night. Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier reports that Whistle had the surgery after making 22 saves in a 5-3 victory over the visiting Kamloops Blazers. . . . Whistle, 19, is 31-7-3, 2.47, .913 this season. . . . Without him, the Rockets will go with Jake Morrissey and Michael Herringer. . . . Morrissey won 5-2 in Kamloops on Saturday and beat the visiting Prince George Cougars 5-2 on Sunday. He is 6-1-1, 1.97, .933 in nine appearances. . . . Herringer, who may start tonight against the host Seattle Thunderbirds, is 5-0-0, 2.46, .902 in six games.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers may have F Steve Owre back in the lineup when they play host to the Regina Pats tonight. Owre, who has 34 points in 36 games this season, has been out since Dec. 28 with a broken jaw. . . . The Tigers will be without D Tyler Lewington, their captain, as he serves a one-game suspension for instigating a fight in the last five minutes of Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes.
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The junior B Golden Rockets of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League are looking for a general manager/head coach. Ty Davidson has informed the team that he will be leaving after the club’s spring camp in Salmon Arm, May 7-9. . . . Davidson is the son of Everett Silvertips general manager Garry Davidson. . . . The Rockets already are accepting resumes for the position.
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Here’s your horror story for the day. Former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett is living with CTE. As he says in this piece right here, he didn’t know the end was going to be like this.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:
In Victoria, G Justin Paulic stopped 34 shots to help the Royals to a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll broke a 1-1 tie with his 29th goal at 12:55 of the second period. . . . Royals F Jack Palmer scored his fourth goal at 7:58 of the first. . . . Edmonton F Lars Eller ended an 18-game drought when he scored for the first time since Nov. 29. He got his fourth goal of the season at 1:59 of the second, on a PP. . . . Victoria lost F Taylor Crunk at 19:55 of the first period when he was given a fighting major and game misconduct. It was a one-man scrap. . . . G Patrick Dea, in his second straight start for the Oil Kings, stopped 20 shots. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee played in his 300th regular-season game. He is the first player in Chilliwack/Victoria franchise history to reach 300 games. . . . Victoria equipment manager Matt Auerbach worked his 700th WHL game. He spent one season with the Regina Pats and the rest with the Chilliwack/Victoria franchise. . . . The Royals (30-20-4) have won four in a row. . . . The Oil Kings slipped to 25-25-6, but remain in possession of the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. They are one point ahead of the Kootenay Ice. . . . “I thought we did some positive things today, but that’s a big strong team,” Edmonton head coach Steve Hamilton said on the team’s website. “We certainly weren’t overwhelmed, but we had a hard time generating offence. I think it’s been a consistent theme with us: not establishing an interior presence. We were at times today satisfied with the long shot without any traffic, and so at times weren’t generating any extra opportunity for ourselves.” . . .
In Kamloops, G Connor Ingram stopped 27 shots as the Blazers beat the Tri-City Americans, 3-0. . . . Ingram, a 17-year-old freshman, has three shutouts, two of them against the Americans. He beat them 2-0 with a 25-save performance on the road on Oct. 25. That was his first shutout. . . . The Blazers scored two first-period goals and the Americans never got into this one. F Deven Sideroff, his 17th, and F Cole Ully, his 28th, on the PP, scored by getting the puck into the crease and having it change directions. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie, who stopped 24 shots, had little chance on either. . . . Ully also had an assist, while D Brady Gaudet had two assists. . . . Tri-City head coach Mike Williamson pulled Comrie for the extra attacker at 4:33 of the third period while on the PP. The Americans were all around Ingram but couldn’t beat him. He made especially sharp stops on F Brian Williams (glove) and F Beau McCue (pad). . . . Williams played for the first time since being injured on Jan. 16. . . . The game was slowed by 16 minor penalties and two fights. . . . The Americans lost F Parker Bowles early in the first period when he left for the dressing room with his left arm hanging by his side. Bowles leads the team in assists (31) and points (44), in 47 games. . . . Tri-City F Justin Gutierrez missed a chunk of the first period after taking a clearance by D Justin Hamonic on the left side of his head at 11:30. Gutierrez returned late in the period. . . . The Blazers were without F Quinn Benjafield, who drew a ‘tbd’ suspension for a headshot on Kelowna F Tyson Baillie on Saturday night. Also missing was D Patrik Maier, who may have at least a bruised tailbone after taking a hit from Kelowna F Tyrell Goulbourne late in the third period on Saturday. . . . After going 0-4-0 in the season series a year ago, the Blazers went 3-1-0 this time around. . . . Kamloops (21-29-6) snapped a three-game losing skid. The Blazers are third in the B.C. Division, a point ahead of Vancouver and three ahead of Prince George. . . . The Americans, who hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, are 25-26-3. . . .
In Vancouver, F Tyler Benson snapped a 4-4 tie at 16:18 of the third period as the Giants scored a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Benson, who scored the winner on a breakaway, has 13 goals. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp had tied the game with his 22nd goal at 11:33. . . . F Jakob Stukel had given Vancouver a 2-1 lead with his fourth goal at 19:02 of the second period. . . . The teams then combined for six third-period goals, alternating them right to the end. . . . F Jackson Houck scored his 17th goal and added an assist for Vancouver. . . . F Cory Millette got his 15th goal, via the PP, and had an assist for Seattle, which got three assists from D Shea Theodore. . . . Vancouver G Cody Porter turned aside 26 shots. . . . Seattle G Logan Flodell made his fourth career start, but his first against a team other than Prince George. He made 29 saves, including 16 in the first period. . . . The Giants are 22-29-3 and one point behind third-place Kamloops in the B.C. Division. . . . Seattle (27-20-6) had a four-game winning streak end. . . . The Thunderbirds, who are third in the U.S. Division, now head home to Kent, Wash., and a date tonight with the Kelowna Rockets. That will be Seattle’s fourth game in five nights. . . . 
In Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier regained the WHL goal-scoring lead and the Rockets moved back into first place overall as they beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-2. . . . The victory left the Rockets with one more point than the idle Brandon Wheat Kings. Kelowna holds one game in hand. . . . Kelowna D Josh Morrissey broke a 2-2 tie with his ninth goal at 8:21 of the third period. . . . Chartier scored his 44th goal at 10:43, on a PP. That moved him one goal ahead of Medicine Hat F Cole Sanford. . . . Rockets F Dillon Dube added more insurance with his second goal of the game, on a PP, at 15:14. Dube has 14 goals. . . . The Rockets were 3-for-9 on the PP; the Cougars were 1-for-6. . . . Cougars F Chase Witala scored his 27th goal and added an assist, while F Jari Erricson got his 18th. . . . Kelowna F Justin Kirkland had two assists. . . . The Rockets held a 15-3 edge in shots in the first period. . . . Kelowna G Jake Morrissey made back-to-back starts for the first time in his WHL career. Jackson Whistle, the No. 1 goaltender in Kelowna, has an undisclosed injury. Morrissey stopped 22 shots, eight fewer than Prince George’s Ty Edmonds. . . . Rockets F Tomas Soustal took a charging major and game misconduct as the third period ended. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie was scratched after taking a headshot from Kamloops F Quinn Benjafield on Saturday. . . . The Rockets (41-8-4) 7-0-1 will meet the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight in Kent, Wash. It will be the fourth game in five nights for both teams. . . . The Cougars (21-32-3), who are three points out of B.C. Division playoff spot, are 1-1-1 in their last three games.———
TUESDAY'S GAMES
(all times local)
Prince Albert at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Saskatoon, 7;05 p.m.
Regina at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Kelowna vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Well played, @WHLGiants. Well played. pic.twitter.com/MAv2RhEGcx
— Steve Ewen (@SteveEwen) February 9, 2015
We have another awesome one of these.. pic.twitter.com/kHdyPOa9Cx
— Andy Levang (@AndyLevang) February 9, 2015
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In Saskatoon, F Brett Stovin, the team captain, scored three times and added an assist as the Blades dumped the Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-1. . . . Moose Jaw F Axel Blomqvist scored his 18th goal 28 seconds into the game. . . . The Blades then scored the next six goals — one in the first period, three in the second and two in the third. . . . Stovin, who has six goals over his last four games, broke a 1-1 tie with a PP goal at 3:13 of the second period. . . . He added a second goal at 10:51 of the middle period and completed the hat trick at 14:23 of the third with the game’s last goal. He’s got 18 on the season. . . . Saskatoon F Nick Zajac and F Ryan Graham each had a goal and two assists. Graham has 13 goals; Zajac has six. . . . Blades F Wyatt Sloboshan, playing on his 18th birthday, had two assists, as did F Josh Uhrich. . . . The Blades were 3-for-5 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-for-3. . . . Saskatoon G Brock Hamm ran his record to 3-0-0 with 31 saves. . . . The victory came on Saskatoon GM/head coach Bob Woods’ 47th birthday. . . . The Blades (13-29-3) have won a season-high four in a row. They are at home to Prince Albert this afternoon in a game that is to be televised by Sportsnet. . . . The Warriors (20-25-4) had won their previous two games. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story 
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings erased a 2-1 deficit by scoring seven times en route to an 8-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Regina took a 2-1 lead into the second period and, in fact, held that lead almost 14 minutes into the period. However, Brandon exploded for seven goals in a span of 18:55 to take control. . . . Wheaties F Ryan Duke tied it 2-2 with his 14th goal at 13:40 of the second and D Ryan Pilon’s eighth goal, on a PP at 15:12, gave the home side the lead. . . . Pilon, Duke and F Nolan Patrick each scored twice, with the latter reaching the 20-goal plateau. . . . Brandon D Ivan Provorov and F Tim McGauley each had three assists and F Morgan Klimchuk, who was acquired from Regina prior to the trade deadline, had two. . . . F Adam Brooks scored his 20th goal for the Pats. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 24 shots in winning for the 29th time this season. . . . Brandon had a 55-27 edge in shots. . . . The Wheat Kings were 3-for-4 on the PP, scoring three of its first four goals with the man advantage. . . . Brandon (35-9-4) has won six in a row, matching its longest winning streak this season. The Wheat Kings remain one point behind the Kelowna Rockets, who hold down first place in the overall standings. . . . Regina (26-17-5) has lost five in a row (0-3-2). . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story 
In Edmonton, the Calgary Hitmen scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Oil Kings, 5-2. . . . D Marshall Donald, with his second goal, and F Brett Pollock, with his 22nd, gave Edmonton a 2-0 first-period lead. Donald was acquired from Calgary at the trade deadline. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini tied it with two goals, giving him 32, at 4:21 and 13:39 of the second. The second goal came via the PP. . . . Tambellini has six goals in his last three games. . . . F Elliott Peterson snapped the tie with his fifth goal, at 1:58 of the third, on a PP. . . . F Beck Malenstyn, with his sixth, and F Connor Rankin, with his 25th, scored nine seconds apart later in the third for insurance. . . . Rankin, F Pavel Kamaukhov and D Travis Sanheim each had two assists for the Hitmen. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields stopped 21 shots, 10 fewer than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . The Hitmen (26-17-5) have won three straight. . . . The Oil Kings (22-20-6) are 0-2-1 over their last three outings. . . . The Oil Kings entertain Medicine Hat this afternoon, while the Hitmen are at home against Vancouver. . . . 
In Red Deer, the Rebels scored the game’s first four goals and went on to a 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Thirteen Red Deer skaters earned at least a point, with F Brooks Maxwell the only one with two. He got his 15th goal and added an assist. . . . Vancouver F Zack Jones scored his 22nd goal at 6:48 of the third to get his guys to within two, at 4-2, but Red Deer D Haydn Fleury scored his third goal, on a PP, at 12:20. . . . Vancouver F Carter Popoff scored twice, giving him 20, and added an assist. . . . Red Deer G Rylan Toth stopped 28 shots. . . . Red Deer was 2-for-5 on the PP; the Giants were 0-for-3. . . . The Rebels (27-14-6) have points in eight straight (7-0-1). They are six points behind the Central Division-leading Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Giants, who were playing their fourth road game in five nights, slipped to 20-26-2. The Giants play in Calgary this afternoon. . . . Vancouver, Kamloops and Prince George are tied for third place in the B.C. Division. The way things are looking, one of those teams will get into the playoffs; the other two will miss out. . . . 
In Cranbrook, F Austin Vetterl scored twice to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Vetterl, who has six goals this season, gave the Ice a 3-1 lead at 6:32 of the second period and added a shorthanded goal at 3:41 of the third for a 4-2 lead. . . . F Jake DeBrusk scored both Broncos goals, giving him 27. . . . F Luke Philp scored his 22nd goal and added an assist for the Ice, which got two assists from F Levi Cable. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau scored his 23rd goal this season; it was the 100th regular-season goal of this career. He has 245 points in 239 games. . . . F Colby Cave had two assists for the Broncos (21-22-5), who have lost three in a row. . . . The Ice (25-22-1) has won three straight. . . . The Ice is at home to Prince George tonight. . . . 
In Spokane, G Evan Sarthou posted his fourth shutout in his last five starts as the Tri-City Americans beat the Chiefs, 2-0. . . . With Eric Comrie, Tri-City’s No. 1 goaltender, first with Canada’s national junior team and now injured, Sarthou has been the go-to guy. The 17-year-old — he’s a late-97 — from Black Diamond, Wash., was a third-round pick, 65th overall, in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . Over his last five games, Sarthou has stopped 134 of 137 shots. That’s a .978 save percentage. . . . Sarthou has 10 victories this season and has put up shutouts in six of them. . . . Sarthou and Swift Current G Landon Bow lead the WHL in shutouts. Bow has been in 44 games; Sarthou has been in 24. . . . Carey Price holds the Tri-City single-season shutout record, with eight. . . . F Lucas Nickles scored his 18th goal 41 seconds into the third period. . . . Nickles drew the lone assist on F Beau McCue’s 18th goal, into an empty net, at 19:51. . . . The Chiefs lost D Matt Sozanski (shoulder) in the first period. They already were without F Calder Brooks, F Hudson Elynuik, D Evan Fiala, D Jordan Henderson and F Blair Oneschuk, all out with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Americans (24-22-2) have won two in a row. . . . The Chiefs (23-19-4) have lost five straight (0-4-1). . . . The Americans travel to Portland tonight, while the Chiefs are at home to Seattle. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., F Miles Koules scored at 1:52 of OT to give the Portland Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Koules has 21 goals this season and two of them have been game-winners in Kent. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp forced extra time with his second goal of the game, and 18th of the season, at 11:55 of the third period. . . . This was the Thunderbirds’ Teddy Bear game and D Jared Hauf scored the goal that launched the stuffed toys at 5:50 of the first period. . . . Attendance was announced at 6,208, the third-largest crowd in the ShoWare Center’s existence. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand had opened the scoring, with his 28th goal, at 1:53. . . . F Nic Petan scored his seventh goal and added two assists, including one on the winner. . . . F Donovan Neuls had two assists for Seattle. . . . F Paul Bittner drew two assists for the Winterhawks. . . . Portland G Adin Hill was outstanding, with 42 saves, 17 of them in the second period. . . . The Winterhawks (27-19-3) have won four in a row. . . . The Thunderbirds (22-18-6) have lost three straight. . . . Portland entertains Tri-City tonight; the Thunderbirds are in Spokane. . . . Seattle and Spokane are tied for third place in the U.S. Division, two points ahead of Tri-City. . . . 
The Prince Albert Raiders will install three players two builders on their Wall of Honour before they meet the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Jan. 17.
On Dec. 12, 1978, the Brandon Wheat Kings were riding a 29-game season-opening unbeaten streak.
In Saskatoon, G Justin Paulic stopped 25 shots as the Moose Jaw Warriors beat the Blades, 3-0. . . . It was Paulic’s first shutout this season and the second of his career. . . . The Warriors scored two empty-net goals. . . . F Jiri Smejkal’s third goal of the season, at 10:01 of the first period, stood up as the winner . . . . Saskatoon G Nik Amundrud stopped 29 shots. . . . The Warriors (15-14-3) have won two in a row. . . . It was the Blades’ ninth straight loss (0-7-2), but the first time they have been blanked this season. They now are 7-23-3 but have won just twice in their last 19 outings. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story 
In Portland, the Spokane Chiefs unleashed a 53-shot barrage and overcame a 3-1 deficit in beating the Winterhawks, 4-3. . . . Including exhibition, regular-season and playoff games, Portland had beaten Spokane in 18 straight games. . . . Last season, the Winterhawks won the season series, 8-0-0. . . . The Winterhawks and Chiefs will meet eight times this season; this was game No. 1. In contrast, the Chiefs and Seattle Thunderbirds already have played each other seven times. . . . The Winterhawks took a 3-1 lead into the third period. . . . Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto scored his seventh goal at 5:24, F Adam Helewka equalized with his 15th goal at 7:06 and F Keanu Yamamoto won it with his sixth goal at 14:58. . . . F Dominic Turgeon scored his 10th goal and drew two assists for the Winterhawks. . . . Portland G Adan Hill stopped 49 shots, 20 more than Spokane’s Garret Hughson. . . . The Chiefs (15-12-3) snapped a five-game losing streak. . . . The Winterhawks (17-14-3) had won their previous two games. . . . Portland travels to Kent, Wash., to meet the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight. . . . The Chiefs are at home to Prince George tonight. . . .
In Everett, the Prince George Cougars scored three third-period goals and beat the Silvertips, 3-1. . . . Everett F Kohl Bauml, with his 11th goal, gave his side a 1-0 lead on the PP at 18:00 of the first period. . . . Cougars F Jansen Harkins tied it with his 10th at 1:30 of the third and D Tate Olson gave the visitors the lead, with his fourth, at 14:55. . . . F Chase Witala scored his 17th into an empty net. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 26 shots. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl (knee) returned to the lineup for the first time since Oct. 18, but F Nikita Scherbak (ill) sat out, as did D Ben Betker (concussion). . . . The Cougars (17-15-0) have won four in a row. . . . The Silvertips now are 18-8-4. . . . The Cougars are in Spokane tonight, while the Tri-City Americans visit Everett.
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