Best player on ice: Andres Ambühl

Davos was able to wrestle free from its precarious situation. The HCD defeated Team Canada 1:0 in the penalty shootout thanks to Lugano's stand-in player Johnny Pohl. Sixty-five spectacular minutes of playing ended without a clear winner with the score at 5:5.

The Davos team spent much of the game leading 3:0 and then 4:2 in what can only be described as a first rate Spengler Cup Classic. When Davos' clear advantage had evaporated, slipping to 4 all, they believed they had victory within their grasp once more when Andres Ambühl scored the 5:4 tie-breaker in the 59th minute. However, a critical mistake caused by the "backup" player Janne Niinimaa 38 before the final whistle allowed Team Canada to equalize once more.

During overtime the shots-to-goal that peppered the playing during the previous three periods had trickled to a halt. Tension was high for the 6746 spectators since even during the penalty shoot out there was only one person who scored: Pohl successfully out manoeuvred the Canadian goalie Travis Scott, crowning the HCD's performance with a glorious end.

Ambühl's Speed

With their backs to the wall, the HCD pulled together all their forces. After 13 minutes of beautiful playing, Arno Del Curto's team found itself in the lead by 3:0. Niinimaa flicked the puck into the Canadan net when Reto von Arx had cleverly blocked the Canadian keeper's view giving Davos a 4:3 advantage. In the 8th minute Ambühl, the Davos team's outstanding sprinter overpowered Fribourg's Shawn Heinder with his amazing speed. In a convincing effort, Ambühl fired the well-deserved penalty shot into the net of the Canadians.

Davos' initial dream start to the game did, however, not result in the home team putting up their feet. Instead, they continued to put the pressure on the Canadians. Dino Wieser's 3:0 score was the direct result of the relentless effort shown by the Davos team. But in their mad rush to play offensively, during the second period, the HCD temporarily neglected to shore up their line of defence. Within two minutes, Trudel and Kariya, cutting through with the opposition's ranks with two goals each, had reinstated the fighting spirit and hope of the Canadian team.

Even after the beautiful counterattack by Riesen, resulting in yet another goal for Davos, the Canadians' and their slightly bruised pride refused to be shaken off. Jan von Arx deflected a shot by Kwiatkowski's into the Davos team's goal to score the 3:4 (39.). In the 54th minute Capatain Aubin went as far as to score the equalizer to make it 4:4. With 102 seconds remaining in regular time, Ambüls scored his second goal, Niinimaa unforgivable slip up in the 60th minute brought the Canadians back from the brink.

Emotion and Intensity

The Bündner center forward Peter Guggisberg had called for a more emotional game after their 1:4 defeat against Moscow. Only a few minutes into the game it was clear to everybody that the HCD would not be willing to deliver yet another lukewarm performance. During the "Derby" both teams made a point of keeping the showy elements of the game to a minimum and instead showed their commitment to hard work. The referees score book is evidence of the intensity of the games early stages. A total of 11 penalty minutes were dished out by the Swedish-Finnish referee duo during the first 250 seconds.

Team Canada - Davos 5:6 after shootout (0:3, 3:1, 2:1, 0:0)

Vaillant Arena. -- 6746 spectators (sold out). -- SR Johansson/Rönn (Sd/Fi), Fluri/Wirth (Sz). -- Goals: 5. Niinimaa (Sonnenberg, Pohl/ disqualification Trudel, Kwiatkowski; Sykora) 0:1. 7. Ambühl (disqualification Sykora!) 0:2 (Penalty). 13. Dino Wieser (Taticek) 0:3. 28. Trudel (Fata) 1:3. 30. Kariya (Toms, Aubin) 2:3. 32. Riesen (Dino Wieser) 2:4. 39. Kwiatkowski (Pittis, Roest) 3:4. 54. Aubin (Kariya) 4:4. 59. Ambühl (Jan von Arx, Salmelainen) 4:5. 60. Domenichelli 5:5. -- Penalty shootout: Robitaille -, Naumenko -; Roest -, Salmelainen -; Aubin -, Pohl 0:1. -- penalties: 4 times 2 plus 5 minutes plus Spieldauer (Sykora) against Davos, 6 times 2 minutes against Team Canada.

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

Davos: Genoni; Gianola, Grossmann; Naumenko, Blatter; Jan von Arx, Furrer; Gerber, Niinimaa; Riesen, Reto von Arx, Dino Wieser; Salmelainen, Marha, Sykora; Guggisberg, Rizzi, Ambühl; Pohl, Taticek, Sonnenberg.

Game notes: Davos without Della Rossa, Helfenstein, Leblanc, Müller, Stoop (not announced), Forster (not qualified), Bürgler, Daigle und Marc Wieser (all additional replacements). -- goal posts / crossbar: 10./54. Domenichelli, 25. Ambühl. -- 30. Timeout Davos.

Sven Schoch (Si)
Translation: Olivia Kaferly