Isbister scored and was awarded the team’s best player award

Team Canada got off to a great start in their quest to defend their previous year's title at the 82nd Spengler Cup. Sean Simpson's team boasting 16 NLA-players won against the tournament newcomer, Czech team Karlovy Vary with a well deserved 3:1 victory. 

Karlovy with surprisingly strong performance in first period of the game

When Dynamo Moscow played against the HC Davos, their technical supremacy during the kick-off game was to be expected. However, little was known until last night about the HC Karlovy Vary, the other Eastern European contestant at this year's cup. But once the Czechs started leading in shots against Team Canada 14:3 (still with a score 0:0) and had given a few subtle demonstrations of how they had mastered the art of hockey, it wasn't long before the majority of the 6508 spectators warmed to the Czech team and started cheering them on. However, those sympathies were soon to evaporate during the second half, thanks to a few clumsy mistakes.

Canada making the most of the Czechs' penalties

It was a whole string of penalties that caused the Czech newcomer who fielded two former NHL-players (Cutta, Kristek/16 games) to lose their advantage against the vastly more experienced Canadian team (a total experience of 3512 NHL-games). Karlovy Vary was barely able to equalize against Brad Isbisters 1:0 (29) with a lucky score by Lukas Pech.

As a result of the penalties, reducing the Czech team by half over the following 155 seconds, Karlovy Vary had little to put up against the ensuing attacks on their goal by the Canadians. Defender Micki Dupont, like Ibster on the NLA team EV Zug, and the ZSC-Winger Jean-Guy Trudel were able to increase the score in less than two minutes to 3:1. The final shot ratio of 17:8 clearly indicates the ongoing minute-long pressure Team Canada was able to put on the Czech outsiders when playing with 5 players to 3 in the second half of the game.

Team Canada - Karlovy Vary 3:1 (0:0, 3:1, 0:0)

Vaillant Arena. -- 6508 spectators. -- referee Rönn (Fi)/Johansson (Sd), Wehrli/Wirth. -- goals: 29. Isbister (Ritchie, Roest/disqualification Skuhravy) 1:0. 33. Pech (Melenovsky) 1:1. 35. Dupont (Robitaille, Domenichelli/disqualifications Dobron, Mudroch) 2:1. 37. Trudel (Pittis, Scalzo/disqualifications Mudroch, Prosek) 3:1. -- penalties: 8 x 2 minutes versus Team Canada, 9 x 2 minutes versus Karlovy Vary.

Team Canada: Machesney; Clarke, Shawn; Jackman, Scalzo; Kwiatkowski, Kemp; Dupont, Harrison; Kariya, Aubin, Toms; Fata, Pittis, Trudel; Himelfarb, Robitaille, Domenichelli; Ritchie, Roest, Isbister.

Karlovy Vary: Mensator; Dobron, Reznicek; Mudroch, Cutta; Prosek, Nemec; Cerny, Duben; Kumstat, Skuhravy, Kostal; Dej, Kristek, Sailer; Melenovsky, Pech, Skladany; Zucker, Bauer, Zatovic.

Remark: Team Canada without Vigier (arrives on sunday).

By Stefan Baumgartner (Si)

Translation: Olivia Kaferly