It was a game filled with incredible swings with the Winkler Flyers owning the first period, but the Niverville Nighthawks taking over the second period, before a double overtime winner by Winkler gave them a 3-2 series lead.
With the series tied, the Flyers wanted to come out and establish some dominance early.
They did just that.
Andrew Morton opening the scoring six minutes in as the 20-year-old forward picked off a pass from a Nighthawks defender, walked in and buried a shot top shelf, moving Winkler ahead 1-0. The goal was unassisted.
Less than three minutes later, Morton would strike again as he again snuck behind the Niverville defense, broke in alone and made a gorgeous move going forehand, backhand, back to his forehand and sliding the puck into the open net for his second of the period, 2-0 Flyers. Nicholas McKee picked up the assist as it was his backhander that cleared the zone and sent Morton in alone.
Still in the first, the Flyers won an offensive zone faceoff and wouldn't let the Nighthawks clear the zone. Blanchette found the puck behind the goal and filtered a pass out front to Charles Bernier who quickly snapped home the 3-0 marker. Will Lyons also picked up an assist on the goal that had the Icon Arena rocking.
It got got pretty quiet in the second as the Nighthawks mounted a comeback.
A power play early in the period started the party for Niverville as they worked the puck around the offensive zone, Merik Boles went to the front of the net and while battling with the checker, managed to get a stick on a Dawson Zeller point shot, finding the back of the net and giving life to the visitors, down 3-1. Avery Laliberte also picked up a secondary assist on the goal.
It looked as though things had calmed and the Flyers would head into the intermission with the lead but that all changed in the span of 35 seconds.
Things started to turn for the Nighthawks as they worked the puck in the zone, goaltender Liam Ernst got his stick tangled up and ended up losing it on the side of the goal. The Flyers tried to force a whistle by holding the puck along the boards but the Nighthawks refused to let them. The battle forced the puck to the point and defender Parker Carrier was allowed to walk in and wire home his first of the playoffs, cutting the lead to 3-2. Laliberte was given credit for the lone assist.
Before they were even done celebrating the 3-2 marker, they could celebrate the goal that made the game 3-3.
Carter Spirig but on his hardhat and work boots, outworking the Flyers below the goal line, eventually earning the puck for his side. He and Bryce Warkentine combined to get the puck to the half wall for Holden Getzlaf who caught everyone by surprise, letting loose a perfectly place wrist shot that sailed over the shoulder and under the crossbar for his second of the playoffs, making it 3-3.
It was an incredible turn of events as the Flyers came into the period up 3-0 but went into intermission tied 3-3 despite allowing only six recorded shots on goal.
The third solved nothing and the two teams would need overtime to decide a winner.
In the first 10 minute overtime, both teams were cautious, yet aggressive, trying to pick their spots to pounce. Niverville had a chance to end the game on a power play but the Flyers penalty kill came up massive, getting the job done and killing off the minor penalty with the game still tied.
Neither team could get the winner so they'd need a second overtime to decide the outcome.
Off a scramble play in front, the Flyers crashed the net and it was McKee that would find the loose puck and tuck home the game winner, boosting the Flyers to a 3-2 series lead in the process. Brody Beauchemin had the only assist.
Ernst finished the night with 18 saves while his counterpart Austin Dubisnky continued his incredible series, making 45 saves in a losing cause.
Niverville's power play finishing 1-6 while the Flyers power play was 0-6.
Game six is back at the CRRC in Niverville on Monday night with the drop of the puck set for 7:00 p.m.