Canada headed to 4th straight Spengler Cup final
Boychuk leads 3-time defending champs to semifinal win over Germany's Ice Tigers
Zach Boychuk scored twice in the first period and Canada went on to double up the Nuremberg Ice Tigers 4-2 on Sunday in semifinal action at the Spengler Cup.
Cory Emmerton also scored in the opening frame and Chris DiDomenico added a second-period goal for the defending champion Canadians, who advanced to Monday's final against Finnish team KalPa Kuopio.
"It was great for our team to earn a win tonight, and play for the Spengler Cup title tomorrow afternoon," Boychuk said. "I thought our line established chemistry early in the first period, and we were able to create offensive chances."
Watch highlights from Canada's win:
Daniel Weiss scored in the second period for the Ice Tigers and Brandon Buck brought the game within two late in the third.
Zach Fucale was rarely challenged in the Canadian net, facing 17 total shots, including just three in the first period.
Niklas Treutle made 29 saves for the German team.
"Our goal going into this tournament was to get better with each game, and I believe that our performance tonight was a reflection of that," said head coach Kevin Dineen. "Give the Ice Tigers credit — they gave our team a good push throughout the second half of the game, and played hard until the final buzzer.
"We are excited to get the chance to play for the Spengler Cup tomorrow, and make Canadians proud."
Canada had faced the Ice Tigers in its final preliminary-round game on Friday, beating them 6-2 to advance directly to Sunday's semi. Nuremberg had to play a quarterfinal against Russian team Metallurg Magnitogorsk on Saturday to earn a rematch against the undefeated Canadians.
Canada has won the tournament 15 times, including the past three years, since first taking part in 1984.
Kuopio edged host HC Davos 2-1 later Sunday in the other semifinal.