MEDICINE HAT, Alta. - Offence ruled in Game 1 between the Kootenay Ice and Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday.

Emotional stasis did not.

"Back and forth," was Cody Eakin's analysis, shortly after he wrapped up the 6-5 comeback victory in extra time.

"We went up at the start and they came back down and tied it up, they got one and we got it back, and it happened all over again. It's crazy, but that's the kind of stuff that happens in playoffs and you've just got to battle through it. I think we did (Friday)."

The Ice lost centre Steele Boomer to a probable concussion after he was blind-sided by Cole Grbavac late in the third. Grbavac sat out Game 2, awaiting word on supplemental discipline.

The Tigers had the game in the bag a couple of times in overtime, only to have goalie Nathan Lieuwen rip it back out of their hands.

Two minutes in, he got across the crease to make a beautiful pad stop on Emerson Etem. The play developed when a clearing attempt up the middle landed on Kellan Tochkin's blade. He skated in and passed across the slot to Etem at the far post, but Lieuwen was there to thwart the hat trick attempt.

Three minutes later, he made a desperate arm save on Grbavac from about the same spot.

"It's unbelievable. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him, and we love the way he's playing," said Eakin, who noted the goalie's play acted as motivation.

"After making a huge save like that, we had no choice but to go out there and score a goal. We knew we had to do it for him and for Booms. Those are the guys that give it all and we've got to do it in return."

Eakin did the honours a second shy of the six-minute mark, skating into the slot and sniping a shot top corner.

He had come onto the ice as Joe Antilla won the puck in a battle along the boards. Eakin called for it with a head of steam.

"I knew the d-man was standing still so I went inside, outside and came back in and went around him. It was a kind of off-balance shot, but it found the back of the net," he said. "I didn't think it was going to go in. I thought it was going to go post-to-post but I saw it ripple the mesh and I was happy."

He said 100 things were going through his mind in the moment after he scored his fourth of the post-season.

"I was kind of baffled and put my arms up in the air. Soon after, I got tackled. It's a great feeling."

The game had been just 1:45 old when Drew Czerwonka gave the Ice their eighth opening goal of the playoffs. Max Reinhart staked a two-goal lead with a backhander off the rush.

Linden Vey put the home side on the board with a one-timer at 14:04, but a strong forecheck by Matt Fraser and Brendan Hurley turned into Erik Benoit's first career playoff goal. Fraser would finish the night with two goals and four points.

When play resumed in the second period, the Arena's sound system wasn't working so the Tigers set about filling the air with cheering fan sounds.

At 11:22, the Tabbies got life when a power play goal appeared to deflect off an Ice defenceman's skate.

Four minutes later, Etem led a harmless looking 2-on-2 rush but left the puck behind for a trailing Vey, who tied the game.

The teams swapped goals early in the third, with Etem striking on an odd-man rush from Vey. Then Fraser's rejoinder - an off-wing snap shot - tied the game a few minutes later.

The Tigers pulled ahead again on a power play, with Wacey Hamilton doing the honours at 10:03.

The craziness did not end there. Shortly after Vey wired a shot off the post and with just under three minutes left in regulation, Boomer was injured by Grbavac. Then Antilla was hauled down on a scoring chance during the delayed call. Suddenly the Ice had a full-length 5-on-3, and they used it to tie the game.

Ten seconds after Fraser sent a puck off the crossbar and out of play, he made good on Reinhart's pass and knotted the game.

"We knew that was the time or never," said Eakin. "I actually thought it got stopped, but Fraz took a one-timer and it was an absolute bullet. He's scoring goals and we love it."

The game nearly didn't make it to overtime as Czerwonka's shot off the faceoff hit iron with 45 seconds left.