The Russians humbled Canadian junior hockey, at least on Thursday night, by winning the 2012 Subway Super Series with a decisive 5-2 victory over the Western Hockey League before a capacity crowd of 7,007 fans at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Among the homemade signs in the packed Memorial Centre was one that read: "Putin the Russians in their place."
Well, not quite.
"It shows how strong the rest of the world is," said forward Steven Hodges, the lone Victoria Royals player on the WHL team.
The Russian juniors finished the six-game series against the Canadian Hockey League -- two games each against the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior League and WHL all-star teams -- with 10 points against eight for the CHL based on three points awarded for a regulation-time victory, two points for a shoot-out win and one point for a shoot-out loss.
"It's tough," said WHL captain Adam Lowry of the Swift Current Broncos, the son of Royals head coach and WHL team assistant coach Dave Lowry.
"We knew what we needed to do to win the series. We came up short. We allowed them to control the puck. There was a bit of a chemistry [issue] getting used to some of the guys, and the timing was a little off. But we can't use that as an excuse."
Trying to figure Russian strategy before the world junior hockey championships is, to paraphrase Churchill, a puck riddle wrapped in a mystery net inside a sweaty hockey sock. When it comes to the Russian junior teams in the Subway Super Series from year to year, you never know what you're going to get.
But there was no hiding assets back home this time with a Russian side that included 2012 top overall NHL draft pick Nail Yakupov.
"This is pretty much the [junior] national team they've [sent] here," said WHL head coach Don Nachbaur of the Spokane Chiefs.
"They are big, skilled and really skate well."
Indeed, this was a Russian team with almost scary depth and balance.
"You have to play for your national team," Yakupov said.
"Play hard for the Russian Federation and don't be selfish and play for yourself. We don't care where in Canada [WHL, OHL or QMJHL rink]. We can beat them anywhere."
Russian goals came from Mikhail Naumenkov, Andrei Sigarev, Kirill Dyakov, Boston Bruins draft pick and KHL pro Alexander Khokhlachev and Yaroslav Kosov with an empty-netter.
Ty Rattie of the Portland Winterhawks finally got the WHL on the board, making it 2-1 with a deft move to his backhand at 8:15 of the second period. Including Wednesday's 1-0 WHL shootout victory in Vancouver, in which regulation time ended scoreless, it was the WHL's first goal in five periods of hockey. Lowry scored in the third period to cut Russia's advantage to 4-2.
"They [Russia] are an elite team," Lowry acknowledged.
The contest was important for the WHL players trying to impress Canadian selectors ahead of the 2013 world junior championships in Ufa, Russia.
ICE CHIPS: Edmonton Oil Kings head coach and WHL team assistant coach Derek Laxdal quipped before the game: "I've been involved in a lot of games in this place [Memorial Centre]." But never on the home team bench. Laxdal was head coach of the Idaho Steelheads for five seasons when the Steelies and Victoria Salmon Kings locked in some pitched minor-pro ECHL battles.
