Sweden wins bronze medal at the 2022 Junior WC
Sweden have taken bronze for the second time in three tournaments after defeating the Czech Republic 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.
It was a fantastic result after a disappointing tournament for Sweden, who struggled to get much offense out of a forward group that looked impressive on paper.
This is Sweden’s seventh bronze medal, and the second time in the last decade. The Czech Republic last won a medal in 2005, having finished fourth last in 2018.
Fabian Lysell opened the scoring for the Swedes, surviving a Czech defensive effort to finish a wraparound goal on Tomas Suchanek. That lead held until 33:30 when Jan Mysak’s shot hit forward Michael Gut on the power play for the 1-1 goal, giving the Czech Republic some life in a period that saw them outscore the Swedes 10-5.
That score held for just two minutes, with Isak Rosen finding a way to beat Suchanek’s blocker for the 2-1 goal to close midway through the stanza.
The Swedes seemed to be sitting on their lead and didn’t push the envelope too much. That changed with just over three minutes left in the game when Linus Sjodin’s wrist beat Suchanek’s blocker on the rush, giving Sweden a two-goal advantage late – one that would hold until the final buzzer.