Team Canada 6 - HC Davos 5
Just like last time these two teams met, HC Davos started off controlling play, as they got a couple quick shots. A bit of a scary moment for Canada early on, as defenceman Daniel Vukovic took a puck to the throat. He would recover though, and finished the game. James Sheppard got Canada's first real chance of the period, as he managed to cut out to the front of the net. Leonardo Genoni kept with him though and made the save. Davos got the first powerplay of the game, as Trevor Carrick was called for high sticking five minutes into the period. Davos capitalized on the man advantage, as Gregory Sciaroni took the puck off of a defensive miscue by Canada, cut across the crease, and slipped the puck past Jeff Glass' outstretched arm, putting the host club up 1-0. Carrick's night went from bad to worst moments later, as he could not handle bouncing puck at the blueline. Davos' Sven Ryser collected the loose puck, skated in on a breakaway, and beat Glass with a backhand, making it a 2-0 game. Ryser almost got another goal seconds later, but was unsuccessful in his attempt. Davos kept up the attack until Enzo Corvi got called for interference. The man advantaged gave Canada a bit of a spark, as they had a few good chances early on. Near the end of the powerplay, Sheppard found Tom Pyatt in the slot, who them proceeded to beat Genoni with a backhand. Pyatt's powerplay goal got Canada on the board, as they now trailed by one. That goal gave Canada a bit of a jump, as they put on the pressure, looking to tie the game. That ended a few minutes later, as Alexandre Giroux was sent to the box for roughing. Davos could not take advantage on the powerplay though, as the score remained 2-1 in their favour. It got rough later in the period. First, Davos' Felicien du Bois pushed Derek Roy into an on-coming Cory Conacher, causing them to butt heads. Both Canadian players would be fine. The same couldn't be said for Sciaroni, as Chris DiDomenico's hit on him trapped his arm against the boards. Sciaroni would skate off, but not return, as he suffered a wrist injury. Just over a minute left into the period, Devin Setoguchi had a chance from the high slot, but it was stopped by Glass. There was a rebound though, and Davos' Alexandre Picard was there to put it home, making it 3-1 for the Swiss club. The period wound down, as Davos headed into the intermission with a two-goal lead.
Canada had a great chance early on, as Matt D'Agostini collected a turnover at the side of the Davos net. He managed to beat Genoni, but not the post. Marc Aeschlimann had Davos' best chance early, but his backhand attempt went wide. About seven minutes into the period, du Bois would beat a screened Glass with a shot from the point. That spelled the end of Glass' night, as Matt Climie (who was call in to replaced the injured Drew MacIntyre) went into net for Canada. It didn't take long for Canada to respond, as Sheppard received a cross-crease pass from Pyatt and buried it before Genoni could slide over. Sheppard's goal cut Davos' lead to two goals. Canada caught a break minutes later, as du Bois was penalized for hooking. 33 seconds into the man advantage, Matt Ellison would escape a scramble in front of the net with the puck and backhand it past Genoni, pulling Canada to within a goal. The ice opened up a bit minutes later, as Aaron Johnson (CAN) and Jan Brejcak (HCD) received offsetting minor penalties. Four-on-four didn't result in much though, as Davos still held a one-goal lead as both teams went back to full strength. Canada turned on the pressure late in the period, looking to tie the game. Genoni looked unstoppable for a while, as he turned aside multiple attempts by Canada. The Canadian would break through, as Ellison received a pass near the goal, deked out Genoni, and tucked it into the net to tie the game. Canada fought from being down by three at one point, as they headed into the second intermission tied with Davos.
The third period did not start well for linesman Balazs Kovac, as he was hit with the puck on a dump-in attempt. It took a minute, but after being looked over by trainers he would continue. Canada looked to have caught a massive break early in the period, as Ryser and Ville Koistinen were called for peanlties 35 seconds apart. Canada managed to set up on the five-on-three, but could not connect, as they ended the two man advantage goalless. Davos would take the lead minutes after killing off those penalties. Perttu Lindgren entered the Canadian zone down the right side and snapped a shot that beat Climie blocker side, putting Davos back in the lead. Canada had sustained pressure midway through the period, but could not find a tying goal during that time. Daovs had a few attempts to extend their lead, but Samuel Walser was impeded on his breakaway and Setoguchi's wraparound was stopped. Just under five minutes left in the period, Canada would find a tying goal. Giroux finished off a tic-tac-toe play by slipping the puck past Genoni. Canada struck again a minute later, as Cory Conacher kept the puck on a two-on-one and snapped a shot over Genoni's blocker. Canada was now in the lead for the first time in the game. Davos looked to tie the game, but shot themselves in the foot, as Corvi was called for cross-checking. Davos managed to kill that penalty, and when they went up for the attack, they got called for too many men. Davos put the pressure on late, but ran out of time. Canada came back to win 6-5, and move on the final.
Players of the game: Matt Ellison (CAN), Sven Ryser (HCD)
Ellison was key for Canada in this game. His two goals helped tie the game and he set up the game winner. He cooled down as the game went on, by Ryser had a good first period. Ryser ended the game with a goal and two shots.
HC Lugano 3 - Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 0
The pace of the period started slow, but picked up quickly. The same couldn't be said for the chances, as the first real good one came almost five minutes into the period. Alessio Bertaggia had a couple shots from the slot, but Jakub Kovar was there to stop them. Lugano kept up the chances after that, but could not solve Kovar. Yekaterinburg would get a good chance minway through the period, as Ondrej Roman's shot from the slot would be stopped by Elvis Merzlikins. The game remained scoreless until late in the period. Philippe Furrer's point shot would be tipped by Tim Stapleton just enough so it would go past Kovar's pad and into the net. Lugano was determined not to just sit on a one-goal lead, as they controlled play for most of the period. Stapleton's goal would be the only one of the period though, as the Swiss club headed into the intermission up 1-0.
The second period saw Yekaterinburg get the first good chance, as a turnover lead to Roman gatted a shot off from the slot. Merzlikins turned the shot aside. Lugano got a two-on-one chance minutes into the period, and did not squander the opportunity. Fredrik Pettersson passed to Linus Klasen, who cut in and best Kovar, extending Lugano's lead to 2-0. Anatoli Golyshev tried to get his team on the board moments later, but his attempt to go short side was stopped by Merzlikins. Yekaterinburg would fined themselves in some penalty trouble later in the period, starting with Nikita Tryamkin going off for elbowing. Lugano's best chance actually came on the delayed penalty, as they got a couple chances before Tryamkin went to the box. The powerplay resulted in nothing, but Lugano kept up the pressure. Kirill Polozov was the next Yekaterinburg player to go to the box, as he was called for holding. Lugano didn't do much on that powerplay was well, as the score remained 2-0. It stayed that way as the period ended, as Lugano was 20 minutes away from advancing to the final.
Lugano started the period with a pretty good chance, as Klasen received a pass on a two-on-one and wasted no time getting the shot off. Kovar would not be beat though, as he did the splits in order to make the save. Yekaterinburg caught a couple breaks, as Damien Brunner, then Furrer, were penalized. Despite four full minutes of powerplay time, Yekaterinburg had only a handful of chances, and were stopped on all of their attempts. The Russian club kept pressing, as they wanted to break the shutout. Just over six minutes left in the period, Brunner would be penalized again (this time for tripping). Yekaterinburg went all out, as they pulled Kovar to make it a six-on-four. A few times Kovar had to go back into the net for precautionary reasons, but was not back in the crease for long. Even though they had made it a two-man advantage, Yekaterinburg could not solve Merzlikins. Brunner ended up stepping out of the penalty box, retrieving the puck, and put it in the empty net. That capped off the scoring for the game, as Lugano went on to win the game 3-0, advancing to the final.
Players of the game: Elvis Merzlikins (HCL), Jakub Kovar (AVT)
Merzlikins stood strong for HC Lugano, stopping all 30 shots he faced to shutout Yekaterinburg. There weren't too many from Yekaterinburg that had a good game. Kovar did what he could for his club, stopping 25 of 27 shots to keep them in the game.
Team Canada 4 - HC Lugano 3
Canada was on the attack, as they put the pressure on the Lugano defence early. While Canada didn't score, they did get a powerplay, as Alessio Bertaggia was called for tripping Alexandre Giroux. The powerplay ended up being all for naught, as Canada could not capitalize on the man advantage. Lugano would soon find themselves on the attack, and they didn't squander their opportunity. Gregory Hofmann beat Jeff Glass on a wraparound to put the Swiss club up 1-0. They kept the pressure up, as Lugano had multiple chances, but none would find the back of the net. Manny Malhotra had a good chance to tie the game, but he redirected the pass over the net. Lugano would get their first powerplay in the latter half of the period, as Alexandre Picard was called for tripping. They didn't get much going on the man advantage though, as the two minutes went by without a goal. Canada turned the play back toward the Lugano end shortly after killing the penalty. Chris DiDomenico found Keaton Ellerby at the point, who one-timed the puck past Elvis Merzlikins to tie the game. Ellerby almost had a second goal moment later, as Merzlikins was down and the top of the net was open. It was not to be though, as in Hasek-ian like fashion, Merzlikins kicked his left leg up, making the save with his foot. Lugano ended the period on the powerplay, as Matt D'Agostini was sent to the box for tripping. The game was tied at ones after 20 minutes.
Lugano's man advantage became a two-man advantage 34 seconds into the period, as Tom Pyatt was called for high sticking. Despite the advantage, Lugano could not do anything with it, as Canada killed off both penalties. Both teams exchanged two-on-one rushes as five-on-five play resumed, but both goalies stood strong and stopped those attempts. Canada would break the tie minutes into the period. Cory Conacher's initial shot was stopped by Merzlikins, but Roy was there to bury the rebound, as Canada took a 2-1 lead. It wasn't long until Canada extended their lead, as DiDomenico found Pyatt with a backdoor pass. Pyatt had no trouble scoring, as Canada went up 3-1. Canada found themselves in penalty trouble yet again, as Carrick got called for tripping. Lugano's best chance came seconds after their powerplay expired, as Fredrik Pettersson's blast rang off the post. Canada looked to have lost a defender, as Picard went down after blocking a shot with his knee. He managed to get to the bench during play, and took a bit to walk it off. Picard ended up not missing a shift. Midway through the period, Lugano was awarded their fifth powerplay, as Derek Roy was called for hooking. This time, the Swiss club didn't disappoint. Damien Brunner found Alessandro Chiesa, whose shot slipped by Glass and into the net. Chiesa's powerplay goal pulled Lugano to within a goal. The ice opened up moments later, as Lorenz Kienzle and DiDomenico received offsetting minors. Kienzle didn't go to the box quietly though, as he gave it to DiDomenico for embellishing. The four-on-four did result in more open play, as both teams exchanged rushes. It continued once both penalties were over, as the rushes kept happening. Glass and Merzlikins were determined to keep the puck out though, as they stopped everything they saw. The period ended with Canada up 3-2.
Canada had the best chance early in the third, as a point shot trickled by Merzlikins. It sat in the crease, as Lugano's Julian Walker was there to clear the puck out of harms way. Sheppard had a chance moments later, but Merzlikins was able to slide his pad over just in time to make the save. Just over five minutes into the period, Lugano tied the game. Bertaggia cut out in front out of the slot and outwaited Glass. His shot was deflected by Glass' stick, as Hofmann raced into poke the puck into the net. The play was reviewed, as it looked like Matthew Lombardi got his stick on the puck to clear it out of the net before it crossed the line. That was not the case, as the goal stood, meaning Lugano tied the game. Canada was determined to regain the lead. Roy had a chance, as he cut into the slot and released a spinorama shot. Merzlikins wasn't fazed by the move though, and easily made the save. Moments later, Aaron Johnson tried to send a pass out from behind the net. It bounced off Lombardi and right to D'Agostini in the high slot, who proceeded to blast a shot past Merzlikins. D'Agostini's goal gave Canada a 4-3 lead. Some confusion at the Lugano bench soon after ended up with the Swiss club being called for too many men. While Canada had a couple good chances on the powerplay, they could not find a way to extend their lead. D'Agostini got a chance to get his second of the game, but Clarence Kparghai stuck his knee out to block what looked like a sure goal. Lugano managed to pull Merzlikins in the last minute, as they looked to find the tying goal. They got two good chances, but were stopped on both. Canada hung on for the 4-3 win, giving them their first Spengler Cup victory since 2012.
Players of the game: Chris DiDomenico (CAN), Gregory Hofmann (HCL)
DiDomenico was a force in this game. He set up two goals and was in on multiple chances. Hofmann got two goals for the Swiss club. He also finished the game with three shots on goal.
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