2016-17 National Men's Team

CANADA OPENS DEUTSCHLAND CUP WITH WIN OVER SWISS

DAVID BRIEN

AUGSBURG, Germany – Mat Robinson (Calgary, Alta./HC Dynamo Moscow, KHL) and Geoff Kinrade (Nelson, B.C./Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, KHL) scored on the power play to lead Canada’s National Men’s Team to a 3-0 win over Switzerland in the 2016 Deutschland Cup opener on Friday.

Danny Taylor (Kingston, Ont./Medvescak Zagreb, KHL) backstopped Canada with a 20-save shutout, and Derek Roy (Rockland, Ont./Omsk Avangard, KHL) added an empty-net goal to cap the scoring.

Despite being outshot 20-19 by Switzerland, the Canadians found a way by the Swiss by capitalizing twice on their three power-play opportunities and going a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.

With 12:13 gone in the first period, Canada struck with the man advantage when Brandon Kozun (Calgary, Alta./Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, KHL) and Roy set up Robinson for the only goal of the opening 20 minutes.

Kozun and Robinson earned the assists on the 2-0 goal from Kinrade five minutes into the second period, giving the Canadians all the offence they would need, plus one more.

Canada ran into penalty trouble in the middle frame, taking four minors in a stretch of less than eight minutes, but allowed just eight shots in the period and took a two-goal advantage to the third.

Roy finished the scoring with just 66 seconds to go and Swiss goaltender Tobias Stephan on the bench.

Canada is right back to action Saturday, taking on Slovakia (11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT) in the second game of the three-game round-robin tournament at Curt-Frenzel-Stadion.