U.S. SURVIVES SWEDISH COMEBACK, ADVANCE TO GOLD MEDAL GAME

IROQUOIS FALLS, Ont. – Forty seconds. That is all that stood between Sweden, a remarkable comeback and a berth in Monday’s gold medal game at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Emil Lundberg, Jonas Brodin and Victor Arvidsson scored in a span of 5:43 late in the third period to turn a 4-2 United States lead into a 5-4 Swedish advantage, but J.T. Miller scored with 40 ticks left on the clock to force overtime and Reid Boucher notched his second goal of the game 4:04 into the extra frame to give the Americans a 6-5 victory and a spot in Monday’s gold medal game.

When Rocco Grimaldi scored to make it 4-0 U.S. just past the midway point of the second period, it looked as if the Swedes’ return to the U17 tournament after a 13-year hiatus would end with a berth in the bronze medal game.

But Pontus Åberg and Karl Johansson – on a penalty shot – cut the lead in half before the end of the middle frame, and the three-goal rush in the third gave the Swedes their first lead with 3:15 to go, stunning the Americans and forcing Miller’s late heroics to force OT.

Boucher, Ryan Haggerty and Tyler Biggs also scored for the U.S., their goals coming less than three minutes apart in the very early moments of the first period, giving the Americans a seemingly insurmountable lead.

The U.S. will go for its third U17 gold medal on Monday against Ontario, the same team that defeated it in the 2008 gold medal game in London, Ont.