A hat trick from Sean Pesut and 44 saves from Wesley McLeod helped the Ridge Meadows Flames stave off elimination.
The Flames doubled up the Aldergrove Kodiaks 4-2 in game five of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League opening round series.
The victory cut the Kodiaks lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven playoff series.
The two junior B hockey clubs played on Wednesday night at the Aldergrove Arena.
Pesut and Aldergrove’s Colton Precourt traded first period goals 47 seconds apart.
Pesut had the only goal of the middle frame and then made it 3-1 early in the third.
The Kodiaks’ Alex Feighan cut the lead to 3-2 in the third with a power play marker, but Adam Bartsch sealed the win with an empty net goal.
The Flames will look to force a seventh and deciding game on Thursday, March 8, when the two teams hit the ice at Maple Ridge’s Planet Ice.
During the regular season, the Flames were 26 points behind the Kodiaks in the standings as Aldergrove won the division with 59 points while Ridge Meadows had a paltry 23 points.
The winner of the series plays the Abbotsford Pilots, who swept the Port Moody Black Panthers in their opening round matchup.
