Bohac Hits Winner For Chiefs Spokane Tops Road-Weary Prince Albert For Third Straight Win

The Bohac Express continues to roll.

Daniel Bohac made it six goals in six games Saturday night, this time with the game-winner in the Spokane Chiefs’ 3-2 victory over the skilled but road-weary Prince Albert Raiders.

Skating from behind the net with the game tied early in the final period, Bohac jammed the puck between the skates of goaltender Grant McCune just 23 seconds after the Raiders had tied the Western Hockey League game. The goal on the wraparound was another flash of Bohac skill, combined with a simple mistake by the goaltender.

In other words, the melding of skill and luck.

It’s a mean combination. Spokane has used it to win three straight for the first time since November.

A year ago, it took the Chiefs until Oct. 31 to notch their third win. And, unlike the first two victories in this streak, the goaltender, Mike Lencucha, had lots to do with it.

As coach Mike Babcock put it, “I want to welcome Lenny back from the dead.”

Playing with more confidence as the game wore on, Lencucha stopped 24 of 26 shots and was voted the game’s second star. He stopped two of four Prince Albert breakaways in earning his first win after an 0-3 start to the young season.

That said, it was a second-period goal that may have meant the most to 6,903 who made their way into the Arena. Most are aware of the travails of Derek Schutz, the Chiefs captain whose battles with shoulder misery ruined his last two seasons.

Schutz scored at home for the first time since May 1998, to give the Chiefs a one-goal lead after two periods.

It was nothing spectacular, a shot through the goaltender’s 5-hole coming on a 5-on-3 power play, with Schutz parked in front of the net. Yet it meant something more, not only to Schutz - who slammed his glove against the plexiglass behind the net to celebrate the end of his frustration - but to the whole organization.

“Schutz was all-world tonight,” Babcock said.

It wasn’t just the goal. The 20-year-old center was all over the ice, going end to end and creating scoring chances in an entertaining hockey game.

“I had a ton of chances,” Schutz said. “I don’t have a lot of confidence right now in my scoring ability. That’s going to take some time. I’ve got to shoot the puck a little bit more, and a little bit quicker.”

Bohac’s game-winning goal 55 seconds into the third period sent the Chiefs (3-3) to a third straight win for the first time since early last November. They go for four in a row Saturday night here with last-place Portland.

Returning to their quick-starting ways of better years, Spokane needed only 56 seconds to take the lead, after Kurt Sauer’s slap from the left point got through.

But with the Chiefs dominating play - and the modest crowd cranked up with Spokane on the power play - Raider Dallas Flaman stole the momentum. Flaman stepped in front of Kyle Rossiter’s shot from the point. The puck bounced off his pads and out to neutral ice, where Flaman picked it up and skated off to score on the breakaway just 2:33 into the game.

Although Lencucha saw only five first-period shots he made two big stops, turning back dangerous Michal Sivak - who had slipped behind the defense and had the goalkeeper briefly at his mercy - and poke-checking Jarrett Smith, who was skating in alone.

The Chiefs kept Sivak, the WHL’s second-leading scorer with 14 points in his first seven games, off the scoresheet.

Lencucha rejected all 10 shots he faced in the second period to send the Chiefs out for the third up a goal, and on the power play for 41 seconds.

The Raiders not only snuffed the power play but scored quickly after it expired when the puck slid by Rossiter and out to Milan Kraft. Kraft charged in all by himself, backed Lencucha almost into the net before sending the puck over the goaltender’s glove.

With the game tied at 2, Bohac answered and Lencucha had all the cushion he needed.

The Raiders (5-4) were playing their fourth game in five nights.