DAVOS, Switzerland — Mark Bell made sure Canada remained the only unbeaten team at the Spengler Cup.
Bell scored twice as Canada defeated HC Davos 6-2 in a battle of the tournament’s lone remaining undefeated teams Monday.
Canada (2-0) took control of the game early, storming out to a 4-0 second-period lead. The host Davos squad (2-1) came in having won its first two games of the tournament.
“We got off to a good start, we played good,” said Canadian coach Craig MacTavish. “We have a pretty skilled team here.
“I’m impressed by the quality of the players. They executed very well. It’s more of a tactical game over here, a lot of different styles. You’ve got to make a few adjustments and the players really responded well to it.”
Jean-Pierre Vigier, Yannick Tremblay, Alexandre Daigle and Jean-Guy Trudel had the other goals for Canada.
Nick Naumenko and Oliver Setzinger replied for Davos.
In the early game, Adler Mannheim edged Karlovy Vary 2-1 in a shootout. The win evened the German side’s record at 1-1 while Karlovy dropped to 0-3.
Canada doesn’t have much time to relish the win over HC Davos. The Canadians are back on the ice Tuesday to face the Mannheim squad.
“Yeah, it’s a quick turnaround,” MacTavish said with a chuckle. “It’s like a minor hockey tournament with the amount of games that you play in a short period of time.
“But it’s the same for everybody so it’s no different.”
Vigier and Bell had the goals to give Canada a 2-0 lead after the first period.
Davos appeared to score in the frame but the goal was disallowed after it was ruled the puck was kicked into the Canadian net.
Bell put Canada ahead 3-0 in the second, converting a 3-on-2 situation with the Canadians shorthanded. Tremblay made it 4-0 when Davos couldn’t clear the puck from its zone.
MacTavish said Bell’s second goal of the game was a crucial one in the game.
“That was a back-breaker for them,” he said.
Naumenko cut the Canadian lead to 4-1 after scoring on a long wrist shot that beat goalie Wade Dubielewicz before Daigle converted a 2-on-1 to put Canada ahead 5-1.
Setzinger countered three minutes later, scoring on another wrist shot to round out the second-period scoring.
Trudel cemented the win, converting another 2-on-1 break near the midway point of the third. Afterwards, Canada was called for a series of penalties that at one point gave Davos a two-man power play with a two-man power play with about seven minutes remaining.
However, the Canadians successfully killed off the advantage.
“We got up by four goals and weren’t going to let them get away with anything,”MacTavish said. “A lot of times they will prey on those situations in a close game and take liberties because you don’t want to take penalties in retaliation.
“But when you have a four-goal lead with 10 minutes to go you’re afforded the opportunity to retaliate a little bit and that’s what we did.”