How do you slay a Giant?

Well, it's game time. Almost. Game 1 against the Vancouver Giants is less than 24 hours away. Yes, that Vancouver. The team that led the western conference with 119 points. The team that flat out smoked us in the two games we played against them. The team that basically had the western conference title in their pocket since around Valentine's Day. The team that lost only ten games all season. The Chiefs task? Not to figure out how to beat them, but how to beat them four times.

It does sound daunting enough, but it actually might not be as bad as it sounds. True, Vancouver only lost ten games all season and has yet to lose a playoff game. But this team is not invincible. Six of those ten losses came in the last six weeks of the season. And if you think they had nothing to play for they were in a battle with Calgary for the best record in the WHL (a battle they did not win, I might add). We didn't beat them in two attempts, but Seattle did. So did Tri. Kelowna beat them twice. Heck, even Everett beat them in Vancouver on the last game of the season. Beatable? They certainly are!

So what do the Chiefs have going for them? First off, Tokarski needs to show up LARGE in this series. With Jared Cowen and Cory Baldwin still out the Chiefs are still short on defense. Vancouver is going to throw everything they have at him. So can he come up big in this series? You bet your Memorial Cup trophy he can! And I think he will. He's the best goalie in the WHL! He needs to being his best, and I think he's going to deliver whether we win the series or not.

Next up, spread the scoring around. Drayson Bowman, as great as he is, isn't going to carry the Chiefs by himself. Vancouver is going to know where he is at all times, probably from the moment he crossed the border. Mitch Wahl, Brady Calla, Ondrej Roman, Levko Koper, and Tyler Johnson need to be the offensive threats I know they can be. And when we're in the attacking zone please but someone in front of the net. Make them play defense and don't give them any breaks.

Third, for the love of all things good in hockey DON'T STAND AROUND WITH THE PUCK!!!! Vancouver is extremely fast and they will come after whoever has the puck. Pass the puck often and with precision, and move around with it when setting up a play. They are great at getting teams to play on their heels. Keep that from happening and happy stuff will happen.

I know that Vancouver is favored to win this series. Most people believe they will take it in 5 or 6 games. But I think if the Chiefs play their game and stick to it, they have a real chance to win this series. I really do. It's going to be hard, but it's possible.


The first two games are in Vancouver on Friday and Saturday. Games 3 and 4 are here next week.

Bring your 'A' game and Go Chiefs Go!