Former 'Head Wathier called up by NHL's Stars

Former Idaho Steelhead forward Francis Wathier was recalled by the NHL's Dallas Stars on Tuesday, the second former Steelhead to be recalled by the Stars in the past week.Aaron Gagnon was recalled and made his NHL debut for the Stars last Friday before being returned to Texas of the American Hockey League.Wathier was a member of Idaho's 2006-2007 ECHL Kelly Cup Championship team. He appeared in 24 total games, regular and post-season, for the Steelheads. The Saint Isadore, Ontario, native scored five goals and added ten assists during his time with Idaho.He spent the past two seasons in the AHL and began this season with the Texas Stars prior to Tuesday's recall.Dallas plays at Anaheim on Wednesday. If Wathier, 24, makes his debut that night, he'd be the sixth former Steelhead to play in an NHL game this season. Gagnon (Stars), Tom Wandell (Stars), Zenon Konopka (Lightning), Dan Ellis (Predators), and BJ Crombeen (Blues) are the others. The Steelheads are on the road this weekend, traveling to the Salt Lake City area to play the Utah Grizzlies Friday and Saturday. The team returns home on November 7th to host the Grizzlies. It's a "Sellout Saturday" -- if the game is a sellout, pitchers of beer and soda are half-price in the SportZone after the game. Tickets are available through the Qwest Arena box office at 208.331.TIXS.