by Wayne Moore

The Christmas break couldn't come soon enough for the Kelowna Rockets.

The Rockets played without injured veterans Colton Sissons, MacKenzie Johnston and Mitchell Chapman, and then lost three players to injury before and during Sunday's 6-2 setback against the Hitmen in Calgary.

Starting netminder Jordon Cooke sat out Sunday's game in Calgary with a lower body injury meaning 2012 bantam draft pick Jake Morrissey was pressed into duty to back-up Jackson Whistle.

The 15-year-old was forced into action to start the third period Sunday after Whistle took a shot off the left leg midway through the middle period.

Whistle finished the period but remained on the bench for the third.

Morrissey allowed three goals on 10 shots over the final 20 minutes.

Forward Henrik Nyberg also failed to finish the game.

After a scoreless first period, in which the Rockets outshot the Hitmen 13-6, the Hitmen essentially put the game away in the second scoring three unanswered goals.

Brooks Macek scored two of those and also chipped in with an assist in the final period.

The backbreaker came from Cody Sylvester who made it 2-0 with the Hitmen playing two men short.

The Rockets generated only one shot on goal in the second period.

Jesse Lees and Madison Bowey both scored in the third for the Rockets who were unable to complete a Central Division sweep.

The Rockets, who saw their six game winning streak come to an end, went 4-1 on the five game pre-Christmas road trip.

Kelowna gets 11 days to rest up and heal over the Christmas holidays before opening the second half of the season December 27 when they host the Kamloops Blazers.

The Rockets finish up the first half of the season 23-10-1-1, good for third in the Western Conference and second in the BC Division, six points in back of the division leading Blazers.

Kelowna holds three games in hand on Kamloops.

http://www.castanet.net/news/Sports/...ts-streak-ends