Skip to main content

Russia defeated the Western Hockey League all-stars 5-2 in the finale of the Subway Super Series on Thursday.

Mikhail Naumenkov, Andrei Sigarev, Kirill Dyakov, Alexander Khokhlachev and Yaroslav Kosov scored for Russia, which tied the best-of-six series at three.

Ty Rattie and Adam Lowry answered for the WHL.

The Russians finished the series with one win against the QMJHL, another against the OHL and capped it by handily beating the WHL.

Russia opened the scoring when Naumenkov fired a long wrist shot from the point through a screen that fooled WHL goalie Laurent Brossoit.

Brossoit, a Calgary Flames prospect, sparkled later in the period, sticking out his toe to stop Sigarev who had split the WHL defence and gone in alone.

But with just under 10 seconds left in the period Russia took a two-goal lead when Sigarev took a drop pass, toe-dragged the puck past the WHL defence and wristed a shot top corner past a stunned Brossoit.

The WHL got on the scoreboard when Rattie grabbed the puck at the Russian blue-line and deked to the outside past their defence, bouncing it off the post short side on Russian goalie Andrei Makarov.

But Russia responded just 28 seconds later when Dyakov picked up a rebound and snapped it low past Brossoit, making it 3-1.

Later in the period Russia took a commanding lead on a two-on-one right in front of the WHL net. Khokhlachev faked the puck to his backhand and roofed one over a down and out Eric Comrie, who had replaced Brossoit at the halfway mark of the period.

Early in the third the WHL made the game 4-2 on the power play when Colin Smith moved in and fed a perfect pass to Winnipeg Jets draft pick Lowrie for a tap-in.

The WHL made a late push, including a disallowed goal with just over four minutes left to play, but they couldn't get any closer. Russia added a goal into an empty net to win the game.

Interact with The Globe