Team Sweden was always so close to earning their first gold medal in almost two decades.

They have to settle for a chance to play for bronze instead.

ROC survived Sweden in an eight-round shootout on Friday, and finally comes away with a 2-1 victory in the men’s ice hockey semifinal, and will face Finland in the Olympic gold medal game on Sunday. The Swedes meet Slovakia on Saturday with a chance to take bronze.

Here’s what we learned after Friday’s shootout loss.

Sweden shows resolution late, but falls in Shootout

With a chance to replay gold on the line, the game was as intense as anyone could imagine. ROC jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second period, thanks to Anton Slepyshev, who scored just 15 seconds into the period. Swedish goalkeeper Lars Johansson did not let anything in the rest of the way, which opened the door for a dramatic third period.

6:22 into the third Team Sweden captain Anton Lander equalized the match after taking home a return, and from that moment it was a chess match, where neither team could score. The two struggled through different chances during a 10-minute 3-on-3 overtime, but no one scored, which set up the dramatic finish.

Not even the usual international five-round shooting was enough, even if it was not for the faint of heart. The Swedes were actually a save from winning the match, after scoring two goals through the first four rounds, but Johansson could not stop Yegor Yakovlev for the victory and the team continued to play.

From there, it was a goalkeeping clinic, until ROC’s penalty shooter Arseni Gritsyuk ended the match after buttoning his attempt up and over Johansson’s blockers. Although the Swedes started strong in the penalty shootout, they finished 0 for their last five attempts.

Just like that, heartache.

Johansson did everything he could

It was an admirable match for the Swedish net champion, as he made save after save to keep the team in the match until the end. In addition to stopping five of ROC’s eight penalty attempts, he finished with 39 saves in the match, and really gave the Swedes every opportunity to win.

The 34-year-old net champion has had a fantastic Olympics and is fourth overall in the tournament after posting a save percentage of 96.20 (SV%) and 0.95 goals against the average (GAA), which helps Sweden to this stage of the tournament. He has also recorded a shutout.

It was the Russian goalkeeper Ivan Fedotov equal to the task, and has achieved 94.41 SV% and 1.53 GAA to this point of the Olympics, and now has a chance to play for gold. Although he gave up two goals in the first two rounds of the penalty shootout, he locked it for the most part, and Team Sweden could not solve him, which ultimately corresponds to heartache, while ROC will try to win its second straight gold.

Sweden meets Slovakia for bronze

Even with the loss, Team Sweden still has something to play for – her first Olympic medal since she took silver in the Sochi Games in 2014. The Swedes will face Slovakia, which they handled relatively easily during the preliminary round, and win 4-1.

Slovakia were eliminated 2-0 in their semi-final match against Finland, another Group C opponent.

In the first match between the two countries, Sweden ran out to a 3-0 lead, behind three goals in the first period. Interestingly, the Swedish goalkeeper Magnus Hellberg, and not Johansson, was in the net for the match, and he turned aside 40 of Slovakia’s 41 shots. As I said, given Johansson’s latest hot hand, it is likely that he will get the nod in the net on Saturday.

Striker Juraj Slafkovsky scored the only goal for Slovakia in the match.

Swedish forward Lucas Wallmark continues to lead the team in goal and has five goals in as many matches this tournament. Lander is also not far behind, with four goals and an assist during the same time frame. Slovakia is also led by Slafkovsky, who has scored five goals in six tournament matches. Goalkeeper Patrik Rybar has been equally impressive, with an SV% of 95.76 and a GAA of 1.04.

Playing time is set at 8:10 eastern on Saturday.

An avid hockey fan in the desert and proud Iowa State alum. Detroit Red Wings and Arizona Coyotes contributors to The Hockey Writers.