2016-17 National Men's Team

SPECIAL TEAMS LEAD CANADA PAST HOSTS AT SPENGLER CUP

JASON LA ROSE

DAVOS, Switzerland – Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C./SC Bern, NLA) tipped in the game-winning goal on a third-period power play, and Canada’s National Men’s Team edged HC Davos 4-3 on Tuesday for its first win at the 2016 Spengler Cup.

The Canadians scored twice with the man advantage, once shorthanded and once with an extra attacker on with a delayed penalty coming against the tournament hosts.

Mason Raymond (Cochrane, Alta./Hockey Canada), Cory Emmerton (St. Thomas, Ont./HC Ambri-Piotta, NLA) and Jacob Micflikier (Winnipeg, Man./EHC Biel-Bienne, NLA) had the other goals for Canada.

Zach Fucale (Rosemère, Que./Brampton, ECHL) finished with 33 saves in his first start of the tournament, and his first start in the red and white of Team Canada since the gold medal game at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship.

HC Davos outshot the Canadians 36-34.

The Swiss side opened the scoring in the dying seconds of a power play when Per Ledin banged in a loose puck at 11:09, but Raymond redirected a slap pass from Chay Genoway (Morden, Man./Jokerit Helsinki, Liiga) past Davos goaltender Gilles Senn just over five minutes later.

Canada struck for the lone goal of the second period while killing a penalty; an ill-advised drop pass at the Canadian blue-line ended up on the stick of James Sheppard (Lower Sackville, N.S./EHC Kloten, NLA), who sprung Emmerton on the breakaway. He made no mistake, picking the top corner over the glove of Senn.

HC Davos needed just five minutes of the third period to pull even, as a point shot from Daniel Rahimi found its way through a maze of bodies in front and past Fucale for the 2-2 goal.

But Micflikier restored the Canadian lead just 11 seconds into a power play with a goal similar to Rahimi, beating Senn through traffic, and Ebbett got his stick on a point shot from Genoway for the eventual winner six minutes after that,

Ledin added his second of the game with 4:42 left, but that would be the last puck to beat Fucale, who made 12 of his 33 stops in the final 20 minutes.

The Canadians will wait for the result of the preliminary-round finale between HC Davos and HC Dinamo Minsk on Wednesday to find out who and when they will play in the quarter-finals on Thursday.