HCD has successfully started into the 95^th Spengler Cup with a 4-1 victory over Frolunda Gothenburg on Wednesday night. In a very fast-paced game, it was two Swedes, Dennis Rasmussen (2) and Klas Dahlbeck, who scored the first three goals for Davos. And Davos was backed by their strong goaltender Sandro Aeschlimann.

In the to this point most up-tempo game of the tournament, HC Davos and Frolunda Gothenburg electrified the 6,267 in attendance. Since both teams showed tremendous discipline on defense in the first period, there were nonetheless few scoring opportunities to speak of. The go-ahead goal for the hosts speaks to that: in a moment of chaos, Dennis Rasmussen poked the puck across the goal line (16^th minute). With the first penalties in the second period came an increase in scoring opportunities. Sandro Aeschlimann kept his net clean with several big saves. On the other side of the ice, Rasmussen redirected a shot by Calle Andersson to make it 2-0 on the powerplay.

In the third period, both teams paid the price for the high pace. The individual turnover rate increased. Erik Borg took advantage of a rebound to cut the deficit in half (47^th minute). It was Frolunda’s first Spengler Cup goal overall after more than 106 minutes of play. Only two minutes later it was Klas Dahlbeck, who with an energetic rush and a precise shot to the top corner made it 3-1 and prevented any unease from even arising within his team. Simon Knak then scored an empty-netter for the 4-1 final score 67 seconds before the last buzzer. Davos showed an appealing performance with solid play and all-out effort. Goaltender Aeschlimann continued his strong league play at the Spengler Cup; he was a tremendous backing for his team.

The head-to-head between HC Davos and Team Canada on Thursday night will determine which of the two teams wins the group “Cattini”.

Quelle: Spengler Cup-Online Redaktion   Foto: Keystone