SPECIAL TEAMS KEY AS CANADA TOPS ERC INGOLSTADT

DAVOS, Switzerland – It was a ‘special’ win for Canada on Monday at the 2008 Spengler Cup.

The defending champions scored three times with the man advantage and once shorthanded as it earned an important 5-2 over ERC Ingolstadt from Germany.

Jeff Toms led the way with a pair of goals, while Rico Fata, Dale Clarke and Randy Robitaille also earned a spot on the scoresheet. Shawn Heins added a pair of assists in the win, which puts Canada at two wins and an overtime loss with a showdown with Moscow Dynamo on the schedule for Tuesday.

The Russian side entered Monday’s night game against Energie Karlovy Vary with two wins in as many games, and a win by the Canadians would give them a berth in the championship game for the eighth time in nine years.

After falling behind by three goals in its shootout loss to HC Davos on Saturday Canada was the aggressor in the opening 20 minutes against Ingolstadt, getting a power play marker from Fata and a shorthanded goal from Toms late in the period to take a 2-0 lead to the dressing room.

Clarke notched a power play goal in the opening minutes of the second period and Robitaille did the same on a two-man advantage early in the third to put the game out of reach.

Toms rounded out the scoring for the Canadians with his second of the game midway through the final frame, beating Ingolstadt Jimmy Waite – who is perhaps best known in Canada for his 1988 World Junior heroics.

Jason Holland and Tobias Draxinger had the goals for Ingolstadt, both of them coming in the final ten minutes.

Daren Machesney turned aside 17 shots to register his second win in as many starts at the tournament, while Waite – who earned Player of the Game honours for the German side – stopped 33 of 38.

Goals/Buts :
15:00 CAN Fata PP
19:00 CAN Toms (Kemp, Aubin)

Penalties/Pénalités :
02:00 CAN Heins (Slashing/Cingler)
06:00 ING Draxinger (Interference/Obstruction)
09:00 ING Holland (Hooking/Accrocher)
12:00 CAN Ritchie (Goaltender Interference/Obstuction du gardien)
13:00 ING Seidenberg (Holding the stick/Retenir le bâton)
14:00 ING Sarault (Hooking/Accrocher)
17:00 Ritchie (Slashing/Cingler)
19:00 CAN Vigier (Interference/Obstuction)
20:00 Greilinger (Hooking/Accrocher)

Goals/Buts :
22:00 CAN Clarke (Aubin, Heins)

Penalties/Pénalités :
28:00 CAN Fata (Hooking/Accrocher)
33:00 CAN Domenichelli (Tripping/Trébucher)
36:00 ING Boucher (Tripping/Trébucher)
40:00 ING Nickulas (Checking from behind/Mise-en-échec par arrèriere)

Goals/Buts :
46:00 CAN Robitaille (Jackman, Kwiatkowski)
50:00 ING Holland
51:00 CAN Toms (Kariya, Heins)
56:00 ING Draxinger (Rourke, Goodall)

Penalties/Pénalités :
42:00 CAN Isbister (Hooking/Accrocher)
45:00 ING Muir (Delay of Game/Arrêter le match)
46:00 ING Sarault (Interference/Obstruction)
47:00 ING Kobach (Interference/Obstruction)
50:00 CAN Harrison (Holding/Retenir)
50:00 ING Kobach (Hooking/Accrocher)
53:00 ING Martinovic (Holding/Retenir)
59:00 CAN Vigier (Hooking/Accrocher)
59:00 CAN Robitaille (Hooking/Accrocher)

J. Waite