Former Ottawa Senators forward Filip Chlapik clinched the decisive goal as Sparta Prague ended Canada’s run in the Spengler Cup hockey tournament, triumphing 5-1 in the quarterfinals on Monday. Martins Dzierkals initiated the scoring early in the third period, later securing an additional empty-net goal for the Czech team, who are set to challenge the U.S. Collegiate Selects in the semifinals on Tuesday. Kristian Vesalainen contributed a second empty-net goal, and David Nemecek sealed the victory with one second left on the clock.
Matthew Peca of Canada leveled the score at 1-1 at 13:07 of the third period before Chlapik swiftly netted the winning goal just 95 seconds later. Prague’s Jakub Kovar made 29 saves, while Canada’s Connor Hughes stopped 21 shots.
Canada, a 16-time champion of the tournament, shares the record with host HC Davos for the most titles. However, the Canadian team has not secured a championship since their victories in four out of five tournaments between 2015 and 2019. Chlapik, drafted by Ottawa in the 2015 NHL draft, previously played 57 games for the Senators, recording five goals and six assists. He is currently in his third season of his second spell with Sparta Prague, his hometown club.