Jeremy Swayman
Punctuating a strong first full season in the NHL, Anchorage goaltender Jeremy Swayman continued his electrifying work on the international stage Thursday.
The 23-year-old from Anchorage fed previously undefeated Switzerland a 33-save bagel to backstop Team USA’s 3-0 quarterfinal victory that lifted it into the semifinals against host Finland.
All Swayman, who plays for the Boston Bruins, managed was his second shutout in four full games to stifle a Swiss outfit (7-1-0) that cruised through the preliminary round to win Group B. The Americans (6-2-0) finished fourth in Group B.
Thursday’s victory means Team USA will have two cracks at a medal. If it wins Saturday’s semifinal against the Finns (7-1-0), it will advance to the gold-medal game against the winner of the other semi pitting Canada (6-2-0) against Czechia (5-2-1). Finland won its quarterfinal against Slovakia, 4-2, and Canada pulled off a 4-3 overtime jaw-dropper against Sweden. The Swedes led 3-0 through two periods, then Canada scored early in the third period, and racked two extra-attacker goals in the last two minutes of regulation before winning on Drake Batherson’s power-play strike just 43 seconds into extra time.
Team USA took a 2-0 first-period lead courtesy of goals from Ben Meyers (Colorado Avalanche) and Adam Gaudette (Ottawa Senators). Swayman, holding down the fort against a Swiss team that averaged 4.88 goals per game in the preliminary round, snuffed 17 second-period shots to buoy the Americans.
Meyers jammed home a 2-on-1 pass from Karson Kuhlman(Seattle Kraken), Swayman’s former Boston teammate, for a 3-0 cushion with less than six minutes left. The Swiss played most of the last five minutes with their goalie off in favor of a sixth attacker, but to no avail.
All Swayman has managed in his debut tournament with a senior national team is go 3-1-0 in five appearances, with a 0.69 goals-against average, .969 save percentage and two shutouts.
Swayman owns one international medal. He won a bronze with Team USA in the 2018 World Juniors, where he served as the Americans’ No. 3 goalie.
Four years later, he’s The Man for Team USA.
Anchorage's own @JeremySwayman weighs in at the :50 mark. https://t.co/YBELBsvpbn
— Doyle Woody (@JaromirBlagr) May 26, 2022