Team Canada celebrates with the trophy after winning the final game between Team Canada and Team Suisse at the 91st Spengler Cup ice hockey tournament in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017.
Image Credit: Melanie Duchene/Keystone via AP
December 31, 2017 - 9:30 AM
AVOS, Switzerland - Kevin Poulin made 36 saves for the shutout as Canada beat Switzerland 3-0 on Sunday to win the Spengler Cup for the third straight time.
Zach Boychuk and Maxim Noreau scored in the second period and David McIntyre added an insurance goal in the third. It was the first time a team has won three straight titles at the event since Canada won four in a row from 1995-98.
Canada caught a break on the game's opening goal at Vaillant Arena. Noreau's shot hit Boychuk's leg and eluded Swiss goalie Leonardo Genoni at 7:34 of the second period.
Less than four minutes later, Canada won a clean faceoff and Noreau blasted a shot from the point to make it 2-0. McIntyre put the game away midway through the third period as he spun in the slot and squeezed a shot under Genoni's arm.
Poulin held off the Swiss pressure in the third period. His best stop was a highlight-reel pad save on Damien Brunner with about two minutes left to play.
The title is the 15th for Canada overall, tying host HC Davos for the most in tournament history.
The six-team competition was the last of five Olympic tuneup events for the Canadians.
Canada will start to finalize its roster in the coming days and an Olympic team announcement is expected around Jan. 11. The Pyeongchang Games are set for Feb. 9-25.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2017