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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Star-spangled Spengler outfit blows opener
Canada falls to club team despite loads of NHL talent
Canada's Jason Williams (left) battles for the puck with Mannheim's Dennis Seidenberg. (SALVATORE DI NOLFI / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
DAVOS, Switzerland -- An opening game loss at the Spengler Cup hasn't shaken the confidence of Team Canada.
Jason Pominville scored on a breakaway three minutes into overtime Wednesday as Adler Mannheim shocked Canada with a 2-1 victory.
Tyler Seguin scored the lone goal for Canada in the third period as the roster loaded with NHL talent had trouble finding its scoring touch, despite generating plenty of chances.
"There's no panic in us right now," said Canadian forward Matt Duchene. "We all think we played a pretty good game, there were lots of bounces and opportunities that we just weren't able to put in."
Pominville, a locked out member of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, ripped a low shot past Canadian goalie Jonathan Bernier to give the top team in the German league a surprising victory.
"I know Bernier a little bit, so there was a lot of mind playing going on in the moment," said Pominville after the game. "I'm just glad it went in to get the big victory for our team."
First played in 1923, the Spengler Cup annually pits Davos and Canada against four European club teams in a six-day tournament in Switzerland.
Dennis Endras made 34 saves for Mannheim, including a breakaway stop on Patrice Bergeron moments before Pominville's winner.
"You can't expect to win against Team Canada in the Spengler Cup," said Endras. "All of us battled hard for 60 minutes, we blocked a lot of shots to prevent their chances and it's just awesome to get the points."
A fast-paced contest with numerous chances on both sides, Mannheim opened the scoring on the power play with 4:06 remaining in the first when Adam Mitchell tipped home a point shot past Bernier.
Canada fought back hard, but the lineup that includes NHLers Jason Spezza, John Tavares, Sam Gagner, Jason Williams and Jason Demers couldn't find its range against Endras.
"Give Mannheim a lot of credit," said Duchene. "They played well defensively and their goalie made a lot of great saves."
Canada looked shaky in their own zone in the first period, failing to clear and being pushed off the puck several times. But the defence stabilized as the game wore on and most of the action took place in Mannheim's end.
The line of Spezza, Tavares and Gagner generated plenty of scoring chances.
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 27, 2012 D2
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