Best of One

Just an hour and 20 minutes from now, the Spokane Chiefs and Vancouver Giants drop the puck on the biggest game of the season for each team. Game 7 is tonight and one team will celebrate; the other will be done until camp begins in August.

Spokane had their chance to close the series out at home, but couldn't seal the deal in Game 6, falling in double overtime after Trevor Glass abandoned the defense-first mindset to try to move the puck up the boards. All is forgiven though - Glass is one of our top two defensemen and will have to be huge if Spokane is to advance.

The Chiefs' mindset has to be the same as Vancouver's was entering Game 6. Never mind what happened the game prior to this. Game 7 is a second chance to get the job done. Spokane is a veteran team who has been through this before (Kruise Reddick's Game 6 goal in overtime a season ago knotted that best-of-seven series at 3 and forced the Chiefs to win the deciding game on the road ... which they did) so they won't be dwelling on what could have been. Instead, it's what they can do.

Games 2 and 3 were the only contests in this series in which either team hit the 4-goal mark. Higher scoring games should favor the Giants, who like to little the net with shots, while lower scoring contests will give Spokane the advantage, as the Chiefs pride themselves on shutting down their opponents and taking advantage of their mistakes.

Other than that, there isn't much to say at this point. Spokane knows they have to stay out of the box, bring a physical forecheck and have a great game from Dustin Tokarski to win. Vancouver has to dominate puck possession, utilize having the last line change well and shoot a lot to come out on top.

If the game comes down to coaching, believe it or not, I like Spokane. Hardy Sauter has done a much better job than the Mike Krzyzewski of the WHL, Don Hay, in adjusting to what the other team has done, as the series has progressed. A furious third period rally and the bad play by Glass bailed the Giants out in Game 6. But after losing twice to open the series, Spokane has been able to play their style of hockey, save for the Game 4 victory. The Chiefs have frustrated Casey Pierro-Zabotel and Evander Kane, locked down Jonathon Blum since the first two games of the series and has limited one of the league's highest scoring clubs to just six goals in the last 18 periods of hockey (six of which were overtimes).

What struck me as odd was how flat the Giants came out on the road in the opening stanza of Game 6. The Chiefs outskated and outscored them in setting the tone early. If Spokane comes out that flat, they'll be down two or three after 20 minutes. If Vancouver comes out like that again, they'll be lucky to be down just one.

For Spokane and their fans, it sucks to have to go back to a hostile Canadian environment when they could be focusing on the Kelowna Rockets right now. But if they have to make the trip, they might as well come out fired up and ready to play.

At this point, it comes down to experience and who wants it more. Considering the latter will likely be a push, the experience edge goes to the Chiefs.

Spokane- 3, Vancouver- 1.