Jeremy Swayman's ‘Pinch Yourself' Moment
The USA won its first gold medal at a stand-alone IIHF World Championship since 1933 on Sunday, thanks to a 25-save shutout by Jeremy Swayman in the final – a 1-0 overtime victory over Switzerland.
'It's unbelievable,' Swayman smiled after the game to Hokej.cz. 'It's mission accomplished. This is a long time coming for USA Hockey so I'm glad to be a part of it.'
Following a difficult season with the Boston Bruins, Swayman refound his game in Scandinavia this year, posting a 1.69 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage and two shutouts in seven games. Playing in his second World Championship, Swayman was spectacular throughout, not only in the final, and was constantly praised by his teammates throughout.
'Sway's the man,' Conor Garland said after the semifinal win over Sweden. 'Sway's the best. He's just a dog in there.'
'Tage (Thompson) makes a great play in overtime, makes a lot of great saves to keep us in it all game and we came out on the right side,' defenseman Zach Werenski said after the final.
Swayman's 25th save of the game was his biggest. Almost a minute into overtime, Denis Malgin carried the puck into the U.S. zone, circled the net and fired a shot that just caught a piece of Swayman's glove and deflected out of play. It was his only save in overtime, but without it, there would have been no opportunity for Thompson's heroics a little over minute later.
'Right at home,' Swayman smiled. 'I love that stuff. That's why we play. It's a big moment and I knew we were going to get it done, so that's something I'll never forget.'
Photo © Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Zach Werenski Says Johnny Gaudreau 'Deserves This Gold Medal More Than Anyone' Zach Werenski had a great World Championship. He missed the first couple of games but it was no coincidence that the U.S. team got much better after he arrived. In seven games, Werenski had six points and was voted to the tournament all-star team by accredited media and named Top Defenseman by the tournament directorate.
Tage Thompson's OT Goal 'Didn't Feel Real; It Still Doesn't' Like a lot of the members of the team that represented the USA at this year's IIHF World Championship, Tage Thompson has had success at the U-18 and U-20 levels internationally, but gold had eluded him at this level.
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