Former University of Maine All-American goalie and current Boston Bruin Jeremy Swayman has regained his confidence.
After the worst season of his pro career, he bounced back in dramatic fashion. He made 25 saves to lead Team USA to a 1-0 overtime victory Sunday over Switzerland in the gold medal game at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships in Stockholm.
Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres scored 2:02 into overtime as Team USA won its first World Championship in 93 years.
Swayman went 7-0 in the tournament with a 1.69 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage and two shutouts.
“I tell you what, this tournament and this group rejuvenated me as an individual,” said Swayman in a story in bolavip.com. “I gained so much confidence. I found my game again. I was happy again. I just learned so much.”
Swayman held six of his seven opponents to two goals or less in the tournament.
During the Bruins season, he struggled mightily. He finished with a 22-29-7 record, a 3.11 GAA and a .892 save percentage, all career lows. He had missed training camp while holding out for a new contract. The eight-year contract he eventually received was worth $66 million.
The Bruins have missed the playoffs since the 2015-16 season.
But it was a completely different story at the World Championships.
“This year was obviously an up-and-down year for me, personally, and to come here and be surrounded by such quality human beings and getting a job done, that’s a turning point in my life,” said the 26-year-old Swayman, who won the Mike Richter Award and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist at UMaine in his final season in 2019-20.
“I couldn’t be more excited for it,” added the native of Anchorage, Alaska, who has a regular season record of 110-62-22 with Boston to go with a 2.58 GAA and a .910 save percentage.
The fourth-round draft pick of the Bruins is 9-10 in the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 2.38 GAA and a .922 save percentage. He had an outstanding playoff run two years ago where he posted a 2.15 GAA and a.933 save percentage in 12 games. He went 6-6.
