Hot Streak Earns Chief Weekly Award

The Western Hockey League office in Calgary confirmed Monday what players in the WHL West already knew.

Trent Whitfield is the hottest player in the league.

The 19-year-old center is the WHL player of the week for his role in the Spokane Chiefs’ climb back into second place.

Reunited with left wing Greg Leeb on a line that includes Ty Jones, Whitfield moved into 13th place in WHL scoring with 10 points in three games, boosting his totals to seven goals and 13 assists.

“‘Whitter’ is one of the dominant players in our division,” Chiefs coach Mike Babcock said. “He worked hard and got great support from Leeb. We hope it’s a sign of things to come.”

The Chiefs (at 7-3-1, three points out of first) are back at it Wednesday night in the Arena for the start of a rare two-game series with the Kelowna Rockets (7-5). The Rockets are here for games Wednesday and Friday nights (they’ll take in the Seattle Sonics’ NBA exhibition at the Arena on the off night).

The Rockets come in hot, having scored three goals in 42 seconds Sunday night to knock off Portland at home.

Although the Winter Hawks enjoyed a commanding edge in shots, 51-20, and allowed only six Rockets shots in the first period, Scott King lit a fuse with a short-handed goal that started a four-goal, second-period spurt in 3:30.

Brett McLean, Luke Curtin and former Spokane Braves winger Scott Parker scored for Kelowna, which handed the Winter Hawks their third straight loss. Portland’s Matt Davidson had two goals, the last with 20 seconds left and the goalkeeper off the ice for an extra attacker.

Rockets owner and general manager Bruce Hamliton, who played in Spokane in the early 1980s when the city had senior amateur hockey, gets an extended stay in town this week. The Rockets, who get in at noon Wednesday, stay through Saturday morning.

So will you show the kids some of your old haunts? Hamilton was asked.

“I might show up at some of the old haunts, but if I do, I won’t have the kids with me,” Hamilton laughed.

Hamilton is happy with his club’s aggressive style under new coach Pete Anholt. The Rockets were a quick, finesse team with former coach Marcel Comeau. They were fun to watch, and probably to play against. Under Anholt, with Hamilton’s prodding, they’re more intimidating.

“I’d say we rank right up there with Spokane in the physical department,” Hamilton said. “It took a while - we had to break some horses here - but we’ve had some kids buy into the system.”

The injury news is good and bad for Rockets fans.

Kelowna may have Ryan Wade, who averaged nearly a point a game for the team last year, for Friday night’s game. Wade has been out all year with a knee injury.

The Rockets won’t have backup goaltender Chris Noble, who won a game at Kamloops then was diagnosed with a hernia. He’ll miss three weeks after undergoing surgery.

Tyler Prosofsky, 20-year-old center, is out for up to three months with a shoulder injury suffered in training camp with the Vancouver Canucks, Hamilton said.

Ex-Chiefs check in

Kevin Sawyer, troubled with pulled groins that plagued him here, finally got into action with the Providence Bruins of the American League during the weekend. Sawyer, who suited for the first time Friday night, appeared in three games in as many nights, posting the kind of numbers Sawyer fans have come to expect - no goals, no assists, 27 penalty minutes, two fights, both wins… . The first regular-season start in David Lemanowicz’s pro career was as rocky as it gets. The WHL All-Star goaltender last year let three of the first six shots get by him, then tightened up as the Carolina Monarchs climbed back into the game. Carolina wound up losing 3-2, with Lemanowicz stopping 31 of 34 shots.

Jason Podollan is on fire with Carolina. The former Chiefs sniper had four goals and three assists in the Monarchs’ first five games. Podollan’s plus-minus is an impressive plus-8 for the 3-1-1 affiliate of the Florida Panthers… . Sean Gillam, who captained the Chiefs in last season’s run to the WHL finals, is off to a slow start with the AHL Adirondack (N.Y.) Red Wings. The defenseman has two assists in six games. His plus-minus is minus-6 for the Red Wings, who are 1-5-1 and in the midst of a 25-game road swing. They don’t play at home until the end of the month.

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