It quieted a sold out Avicii Arena, packed with fans decked out in the home team’s yellow Three Crown sweaters.
“Pretty surreal, to have an opportunity to win a gold medal,” the Alaskan-born Swayman said per audio provided to the Globe, “and wearing the USA jersey. It’s a dream come true.
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“It’s completely rebirthed me in a way.”
Team USA will face Switzerland, which routed Denmark, 7-0, in the other semifinal, for gold on Sunday. (2:20 p.m, NHL Network).
Along with winning the 1933 tournament, the US also was credited with gold in 1960 by virtue of its Olympic title at Squaw Valley. (Quadrennially through 1968, the IIHF simply designated the Olympic medalists as that year’s world podium.)
Though it is credited with nine silver medals, the last via the 1956 Olympics, Sunday will be the Americans’ first gold-medal game at a non-Olympic worlds since 1934.
Swayman and North Andover’s Joey Daccord began the tournament in a job share, but after the Kraken goalie opened 2-1-0, US coach Ryan Warsofsky opted to go fulltime with Swayman.
His win over the Swedes left him with a 1.98 goals against mark and a .905 save percentage. Such numbers were what the Bruins expected this past season, only to see Swayman struggle to return to the form that led them to sign him to an eight-year, $66 million contract on the eve of the season.
Like virtually the entire Black & Gold roster, he failed to find a sustained groove, often fighting the puck and his game decidedly lacking confidence and off register. The Bruins finished without a playoff berth for the first time since 2016, Swayman going from 25-10-8 in his last season splitting the role with Linus Ullmark to a pedestrian 22-29-7. His save percentage dipped to .892 and his goals-against mark ballooned to 3.11.
The Bruins will be counting on a “rebirthed” Swayman being a key piece of a needed renaissance when the club opens training camp in mid-September.
“This group has been unbelievable to be a part of,” Swayman said. “I’ve had so much fun playing for the crest and the guys in that locker room.”
Bruins teammate Andrew Peeke again was on his backline. He has played in all nine US games, delivering a goal and two assists. Fellow Bruins backliner Mason Lohrei (5 games, 1-2–3) was held out Saturday by Warsofsky.
Bruins center Elias Lindholm beat Swayman for one of Sweden’s two third-period goals. He will enter Sunday’s bronze-medal game as the club’s top scorer (8-4—12 in 9 games).
The Bruins will be hoping Lindholm’s overseas confidence boost is also something that will translate when he crosses the Atlantic in the fall.
“It’s one of those pinnacle-of-sports moments,” said Swayman, reflecting on what it was like to beat the Swedes on their own frozen turf. “It’s amazing to be up against the world. Kudos to the crowd. Kudos to the city. It’s been so unbelievable, the passion that they have . . . it was just one of those moments that you dream of and, again, to see the reality, it’s a pinch-yourself moment. I couldn’t be more pleased to be a part of it.
After the Swedes cut the US lead in half early in the third on goals by the Leafs’ William Nylander and Lindholm, the Yanks salted it away with strikes by Anaheim’s Jackson Lacombe and Ottawa’s Shane Pinto.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com.