The win of the year

One big complaint I have with the WHL web site is that their game recaps are nothing more than that. Scroll down on this link if you want to read a basic overview of the game. Not just that, but the four-overtime thriller wasn't even the top game of Friday's contests, because the Brandon Wheat Kings completed a four-game sweep of the Medicine Hat Tigers that everyone saw coming anyway.

Meanwhile, I didn't sleep well at all last night, partly because I was so excited about the second-longest game in WHL history and partly because my cat never lets me sleep.

The Vancouver Giants and Spokane Chiefs entered Game 5 both desperate to take a 3-2 series lead. Vancouver was coming off two consecutive defeats in Spokane to cough up a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set, while the Chiefs had to have one at some point at Pacific Coliseum and having to win a Game 7 against the Western Conference's top team in their own barn was not the ideal way to do that. Thus, Game 5 was huge.

The Giants came out strong, converting on their first two power plays, which sandwiched a Chiefs power play marker to take an early 2-1 lead. Spokane ended the period with a furious rally, including several scoring chances, but couldn't convert and trailed by one after the first 20 minutes.

Neither team scored in the second stanza, but the Chiefs kept the pressure on, outshooting Vancouver 14-11 in the period.

But 4:25 into the third, that oh-ffensive effort paid off as Drayson Bowman netted his eighth postseason goal from the left circle to tie it at 2. The period ended with Spokane having the momentum, once again outshooting the Giants and holding a 35-31 advantage on the shot clock after regulation.

Little did anyone know that the game wasn't yet half over.

The Chiefs were forced to kill the first penalty of overtime when Ryan Letts served two minutes for a very questionable kneeing call. Letts and Vancouver forward Evander Kane collided near Spokane's blue line and while it looked incidental, the penalty was given to Letts, but nothing came out of it as Vancouver outshot Spokane 14-5 in the first overtime, but couldn't tally.

In the second OT, it was Vancouver's turn to play a man down when Kane hit Bowman along the boards with a high stick. Spokane came close to ending the game multiple times, but couldn't quite hit the tape with passes in front of the net and, despite being outshot 11-7 in the fifth period, seemed to be gaining momentum.

The Chiefs appeared to be the fresher team entering the third overtime, continuing to make Vancouver netminder Tyson Sexsmith come up big, which he did repeatedly. Spokane outshot the Giants 9-6 in OT3 to bring the total shots to 62-56 Vancouver.

The Giants wouldn't get another shot on goal, but the collective hearts of Chiefs fans were racing early in the fourth overtime when Vancouver gained control of the puck in the Spokane zone versus the Chiefs' fourth line. A Vancouver pass from the point found the stick of Kane in the right circle, who lost it thanks to a diving poke check by Kenton Miller. The puck deflected out to Blake Gal who had nothing but ice in front of him. As Gal raced down the boards, Giants defenseman Mike Berube closed in on him before Gal could make a move on Sexsmith. Gal lost the puck in front of the net, but Berube's stick found the puck and he inadvertently slid it into his own net to give the Chiefs a mesmerizing 3-2 road victory.

Both goaltenders were spectacular, with Sexsmith stopping 54 of 57 Spokane shots for second star honors, while Spokane's Dustin Tokarski was huge, making 60 saves on 62 shots in being named the game's first star.

In his last two contests in the series, Tokarski has carried Spokane, allowing just two goals on 103 shots. Overall in the series, Tokarski has given up 10 goals on 208 shots and he hasn't allowed the Giants to score after the first period since Vancouver scored twice in the second in Game 2.

Up 3-2 in the series, Spokane, like the last three contests, virtually faces a must-win situation. Sure, if the Chiefs go back for Game 7, they know they can win on the road against Vancouver, but being at home, where they are 4-1 in the 2009 playoffs, they will have their best opportunity to close out this series.

If they win, it will be the second consecutive year the Chiefs won games 5 and 6 against the Giants to close out the series at the Spokane Arena and move on to the Western Conference Finals. And everyone knows what happened in 2008.