Flyers starting goalie Sam Ersson started in the net for Team Sweden last night, giving his nation their only tournament win. Ersson got the call-up after being healthy and scratched for the two previous games. Linus Ullmark was not feeling well, which led to Ersson getting his chance to perform on a big platform.
Sam Ersson stands out for Team Sweden
Ersson made an impressive 32 saves against a strong USA team. The game didn’t start on the right note as Chris Kreider scored for Team USA early on. Luckily for Team Sweden, Gustav Nyquist was able to tie up the game with six minutes remaining in the first frame. The scoring wasn’t done yet as Jesper Bratt was able to give Sweden the lead, which ended up being the final score, 2-1, during the last minute of play in the first.
This was some of the best hockey Ersson’s played between the pipes. Despite Team USA losing a few players throughout the game, it was a loaded roster, which caused Ersson to shut down. Before the tournament, when speaking with Ersson, he explained the amount of pride he has in being able to represent his country. He took full advantage of the opportunity given to him. On Team USA’s bench, Flyers head coach John Tortorella was serving as an assistant coach.
The young goalie is finally getting the praise he deserves. He was the Flyers’ backup goalie before taking over the starting goalie role and has faced a lot of criticism not only from fans but also from the national media. It’s been a constant headline that the Flyers have a goalie problem. Despite the never-ending criticism of the netminder job, the Swede stayed mentally strong. When given the opportunity, he flourished. While the Flyers could use a better backup goalie, there is a reason why he does have the job for the orange and black.
The Flyers return to work on Saturday as they host the Edmonton Oilers, and after Ersson’s outstanding performance, this will give him a confidence boost.
Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
