KAZAN, Russia (AP) -- Ilya Kovalchuk led SKA St. Petersburg to its first Kontinental Hockey League title on Sunday as the team clinched a 4-1 series victory over Ak Bars Kazan.
Kovalchuk scored two goals as SKA beat Ak Bars 6-1 on the road in Game 5 to secure the Gagarin Cup.
Despite consistently having one of the highest-paid KHL rosters in recent years, SKA had never reached the finals before.
The season has been tough for the seven-country, 28-team KHL as Russia's economic crisis has strained team salaries and the low value of the ruble depressed player salaries.