The Tri-City Americans had the second round of the playoffs in their headlights and the Chilliwack Bruins in the rear-view mirror for 58 minutes Friday.

Then, in a flash of a Grade B horror flick, the Bruins climbed over the Americans' backs to win Game 5 in overtime and stave off elimination in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

"We talked about building tradition and culture," said Chilliwack coach Marc Habscheid. "It's one thing to make the playoffs, but winning isn't easy. We have a lot of youth here. You find ways to win and that's how you do it."

Tri-City, which blew a 3-1 lead in the third period Friday night for the second game in a row, leads the best-of-7 series 3-2. Game 6 is today in Chilliwack (KFLD 870 AM), while Game 7 -- if necessary -- will be Tuesday at Toyota Center.

"We know they are a good team," said Americans forward Brooks Macek. "We can't let up in the third when we have the lead. We just have to try and put this behind us, go into Chilliwack and play a good game. It will take a steady effort throughout the lineup."

Tri-City defenseman Jarrett Toll said the Americans need to be more aggressive for 60 minutes, not just the first 40.

"The frustration is there now," Toll said. "We don't want to go to a Game 7. (Today) is the end of the road."

Tri-City coach Jim Hiller was not pleased with his team squandering the lead again, but gave Chilliwack credit for not backing down.

"This is a good series," Hiller said. "We will go up (today) and put out best foot forward."

Perhaps the Americans' struggles to put Chilliwack away in the series should come as no surprise.

While the Americans won their third straight U.S. Division title and came out on top of the Western Conference this season, they only won one out of four regular-season meetings with the Bruins this season.

Chilliwack still is looking for its 15 minutes of fame, and the Bruins just might find them behind the leadership of goaltender Lucas Gore.

Gore finished with 44 saves Friday, including eight in overtime, and helped kill off 7 of 8 Tri-City power plays. The native of Kamloops, B.C., has faced a playoff-high 192 shots in five games.

"We feel confident going back to our building," Gore said. "We beat them there and we know what it takes. We'll do it again. It's been a big change here this year and no one is ready to go home."