Prayer Silences Chiefs Katcher’S Shot With 46 Seconds Left Puts Tri-City Back In Win Column

Jeff Katcher’s game-breaking shot Saturday night is the latest example of the good things that can happen when a hockey puck is put on net.

With 46 seconds left, Katcher launched a prayer from the top of the faceoff circle that found its way over the shoulder of sliding Spokane Chiefs goaltender Mike Lencucha.

The goal - only Katcher’s third of the season - was the difference in the Tri-City Americans’ 2-1 win before the Chiefs’ third sellout crowd of the Western Hockey League season, 10,455.

“I think it hit someone - deflected off a Spokane guy - before it got there,” said the 19-year-old defenseman, a Los Angeles Kings draft pick. “I got lucky.”

On a team of snipers, Katcher was the unlikely one to decide a duel of rival goaltenders. But he did, helping the Americans (23-15-4) beat the Chiefs for the sixth time in seven games.

“It’s always tough to play here with 11,000 fans booing you,” said Katcher, who scored his 11th point in his 41st game. “But it’s a lot easier this year. We’re actually playing with them instead of getting beat on the whole game.”

Lencucha stopped 26 of 28 shots. Jeff Blair made 27 saves for the Ams, who ended a four-game losing streak, helped in part by a controversial no-goal call by referee Darwin Forbes on a shot by Ty Jones that appeared to get in. It would have given the Chiefs a one-goal lead heading down the stretch.

“That baby’s in there, man,” Chiefs coach Mike Babcock said. “No question. For sure.”

Although the Chiefs (11-24-5) remain in the WHL West basement, there were positives to take to Kamloops today, where Spokane meets the Blazers in the first of five games on the road.

Cam Severson was strong in his first game since Dec. 19, when he sprained an ankle. And newcomer Jan Dusanek, picked up this week from the Kelowna Rockets, showed enough puck-handling skill to hint that he might help settle some of the younger defensemen.

Brad Ference returned from the World Junior Tournament but will spend most of the week in his hometown of Calgary. He gets time off for the holiday break he forfeited to play in the tournament. He’ll join the team Friday.

“We played well,” Babcock said. “It’s just how things are going. It’s not like we were poor. We had lots of chances. Blair made some great saves, Lenny made some good saves, they dumped her on net at the end and it went in.”

The Chiefs killed off three early penalties, including a 5-on-3 Tri-City power play for 1:15, and were eventually rewarded with an accidental goal.

It came on the power play with 6:32 left in the first period, when Jones - stationed on the doorstep - hit the right skate of the Americans’ Mike Muzechka with a puck that found the net.

Spokane squandered an opportunity to add to that lead in the second period when the Americans’ explosive center, Scott Gomez, was sent off for 14 minutes - 2 minutes for a rough, 2 for unsportsmanlike conduct and 10 for a misconduct.

The Chiefs failed to connect on the resulting 4-minute power play, and Gomez eventually returned with the score unchanged.

The 19-year-old first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils wasted no time evening the score, completing a 2-on-1 rush with a snap shot that got in on Lencucha’s stick side with 3:34 left in the second period.

The pass came from Dylan Gyori, who also assisted on Katcher’s game-winner to score his 65th point and move to within three points of the WHL scoring lead.

Americans 2, Chiefs 1

Tri-City 0 1 1 - 2

Spokane 1 0 0 - 1

First period - 1, Spokane, Jones 12, 13:28 (pp). Key penalties - Smyth, Spo, 2:01; Ference, Spo, 2:47; Schutz, Spo, 4:52; Peat, TC, 7:53; Melichar, TC, 12:11; Muzechka, TC, 18:38.

Second period - 2, Tri-City, Gomez 16 (Gyori, Kristek), 16:26 (pp). Key penalties - Gomez, TC, double minor and misconduct, :24; Johansson, TC, 5:34; Ference, Spo, 13:40; Severson, Spo, 15:34; Tri-City bench (too many men on), 19:20.

Third period - 3, Tri-City, Katcher 3 (Gyori, Gomez), 19:14. Key penalties - Jones, Spo, misconduct, :47; Severson, Spo, 1:22; Ference, Spo, 11:39.

Power-play opportunities - Tri-City 1 of 7; Spokane 1 of 6. Saves - TriCity, Blair 9-13-5-27. Spokane, Lencucha 12-6-8-26. A - 10,455.