  Team Canada's players line up during the winner's ceremony after they lost in the Spengler Cup final on Friday. (REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann) |
Five games in fives days was just a little too much hockey for head coach Mark Messier's Team Canada at the Spengler Cup on Friday.
Maxim Sushinsky's goal into an empty net stood up as the game winner as SKA St. Petersburg beat Team Canada 4-3 in Davos, Switzerland.
Sushinsky led the KHL team with two goals and an assist in the game, their first Spengler Cup championship since 1977.
Down 3-1 late in the third period, Team Canada's Brett McLean cut the lead to one with just over a minute remaining in the game. Sushinsky then iced the game with an empty netter before Canada's Josh Holden deflected a shot in with two seconds remaining to round out the scoring.
St. Petersburg also had goals from former NHLers Alexei Yashin and Maxim Afinogenov, while Micki Dupont had Canada's other goal. Jakub Stepanek earned the win for St. Petersburg while former Edmonton Oiler Jeff Deslauriers took the loss for Canada.
Team Canada has participated in four of the last five Spengler Cup finals, last winning in 2007.
