Canada could not take advantage of a brace from Brett Connolly to start the Spengler Cup on the right foot, Monday in Davos, Switzerland, losing instead 3-2 against HC Sparta Praha.
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Travis Green’s squad will have to pull themselves together quickly, since they will only play one more match in the preliminary phase. However, she will have no chance of going very far without a better performance from her trusted man between the posts. 137-game National Hockey League veteran Michael Hutchinson simply didn’t measure up in front of the Canadian net. He flinched three times in just 19 attempts.
Czech striker Michal Repik was his biggest tormentor. He shook the ropes behind Hutchinson twice, including once on the power play.
Daniel Pribyl also threaded the needle for Sparta Praha, a team playing in the Czech first division.
The maple leaf framed 30 shots, but came up against a Josef Korenar in full possession of his means. The 24-year-old goaltender, who played with the Arizona Coyotes until last season, made 28 saves.
Helped by former Montreal Canadiens Daniel Carr, Connolly closed the gap to one goal late in the second period. He had scored his first of the game a few minutes earlier.
Quebec defender Thomas Grégoire was an accomplice to the two successes of the maple leaf.
Canada will look to improve their game on Tuesday afternoon when they face home team HC Davos.