MCTAVISH’S GOAL LEADS CANADA TO 3-2 WIN OVER SALAVAT YULAEV UFA

by Paul Romanuk

DAVOS, Switzerland – It was exactly the type of game you expected as the two best teams at the 2007 Spengler Cup faced off.

Canada got a goal from Dale McTavish at 7:07 of the third period and held on to defeat Russian side HC Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3-2 and clinch a berth in Monday’s championship game.

“It’s about time,” smiled McTavish following the win. “I just threw it towards the front of the net because I saw Travis Green heading there and I guess it went in off their defenseman. Sometimes you just throw it on goal and something happens.”

Canada led 2-1 after one period on goals from veteran Yves Sarault and Simon Gamache, while Andrei Kuteykin scored the goal for Ufa.

The second period saw Canada lose some of the intensity it played the opening 20 minutes with, and Oleg Tverdovsky tied the score as he one-timed a pass from Alexander Perezhogin in behind Canadian netminder Curtis Joseph to tie the score at 2-2.

“We talked after the second period and discussed some of the things we’d stopped doing,” said Canadian head coach Sean Simpson. “We came out in the third and sacrificed, we started moving our feet, blocking shots and doing all those things you have to do to win games.”

Joseph faced 40 shots from the Russians, 19 of them in the second period. He came to this tournament to prove that he was not only in shape, but in game shape, and has helped Canada to a perfect record thus far and their seventh championship game appearance in eight years.

“This has just been a great experience for me,” said Joseph, “to be here, with these guys, playing for Canada. It’s a challenge [getting back to the National Hockey League] but that’s what makes sports what it is.”

Simpson was non-committal about his goaltending choice for Sunday’s round-robin finale against Adler Mannheim of Germany.

“We’ll have to see after everybody talks, how everybody is feeling and make a decision then,” said Simpson.

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Goals/Buts :
SYU Andrey Kuteykin 14:00
CAN Yves Sarault (Ryan Keller, Marty Murray) 15:00
CAN Simon Gamache (Kirby Law, Serge Aubin) 16:00 PP

Penalties/Pénalités :
CAN Travis Green (Slashing) 1:00
SYU Andrey Kuteykin (Interference) 1:00
SYU Bench (Too Many Men) 2:00
SYU Miroslav Blatak (Interference) 6:00
CAN Marty Murray (Hooking) 10:00
SYU Konstantin Koltsov (Kneeing) 15:00
SYU Dmitry Tarasov (Hooking) 15:00

Goals/Buts :
SYU Oleg Tverdovsky (Alexander Perezhogin, Konstantin Koltsov) 5:00

Penalties/Pénalités :

CAN Yannick Tremblay (Holding) 1:00
CAN Travis Green (High Sticking) 4:00
SYU Mikhail Chernov (Interference) 7:00
CAN Curtis Joseph (Interference) 8:00
CAN Yves Sarault (Roughing) 14:00
CAN Mark Giordano (Interference) 17:00
CAN Shawn Heins (Roughing) 19:00
SYU Vladimir Antipov (High Sticking) 19:00
SYU Vladimir Antipov (Roughing) 19:00

Goals/Buts :
CAN Dale McTavish 8:00

Penalties/Pénalités :
SYU Michal Mikeska (Slashing) 10:00
CAN Dale McTavish (Cross Checking) 14:00
CAN Travis Green (Hooking) 19:00