Former University of Maine hockey goalie and current Boston Bruin Jeremy Swayman had his worst year as a pro this past season but he has bounced back to go 5-0 in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships in Sweden and Denmark.
He has helped lead Team USA into a semifinal matchup against Sweden on Saturday in Stockholm. Game time is 8:20 a.m. (EDT).
Switzerland will play Denmark in the other semifinal.
The bronze medal (9:20 a.m.) and gold medal (2:20 p.m.) games will be on Sunday.
Denmark shocked Canada 2-1 in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals for the first time.
The 26-year-old Swayman has posted a 1.97 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage in his five starts for Team USA.
Seattle Kraken goalie Joey Daccord has played in three games for Team USA and is 2-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
Swayman and Daccord had shared the goaltending early in the tournament but Swayman has played the last two games, 5-2 victories over Czechia in the final pool play game and Finland in the quarterfinals.
The Anchorage, Alaska native made 25 saves against Czechia and 20 vs. Finland. Earlier in the tourney, he had 13 saves in a 6-0 win over Hungary, 16 stops in a 6-1 victory over Kazakhstan and 13 in a 6-5 overtime triumph over Norway.
Swayman won the Mike Richter Award given to the nation’s top goaltender for his play at UMaine in the 2019-20 season. The first team All-American was also one of three Hat Trick finalists for the Hobey Baker Award which goes to the country’s best player.
Swayman, a fourth round pick of the Bruins in 2017 and the 111th overall selection, missed training camp with the Bruins while holding out for a new contract.
He eventually landed an eight-year, $66 million deal but struggled during the season, posting a 22-29-7 record with a 3.11 GAA and a .892 save percentage.
He had been part of the NHL’s best goaltending tandem with 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark but the Bruins traded Ullmark to Ottawa last June.
Swayman has a career regular season record of 110-62-22 with Boston to go with a 2.58 GAA and a .910 save percentage. He is 9-10 in the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 2.38 GAA and a .922 save percentage.
He had an exceptional playoff run two years ago when he registered a 2.15 GAA and a .933 save percentage in 12 games. He was 6-6.
One of his former UMaine teammates, winger Eduards Tralmaks, also had an impressive showing in the World Championships while playing for Latvia, The 28-year-old Tralmaks had three goals and four assists for seven points in Latvia’s seven games. Latvia failed to qualify for the quarterfinals.
The former Providence Bruin and Maine Mariner has spent the last two seasons playing in Czechia for Rytiri Kladno and has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings for this coming season. He was the leading scorer in the top league in Czechia this past season with 51 points on 23 goals and 28 assists in 48 games.
