Sweden edges Japan in 1st game of women's hockey tournament
Defenceman Sara Hjalmarsson breaks tie in 3rd
Sara Hjalmarsson scored 1:53 into the third period and Sweden held off Japan 2-1 in a thrilling game to open the preliminary round for women's ice hockey at the Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
This was only Japan's third appearance in the Olympics for women's ice hockey, and they had to start off pool play against a country that took home silver in 2006 and bronze in 2002.
Click on the video below for highlights of the game
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Sweden took a 1-0 lead 2:21 into the game when Fanny Rask scored from a tough angle, squeezing the puck between Nana Fujimoto's head and the post.
The Japanese tied it up with 3:08 left in the second period.
The Swedes took the lead back thanks to a great takeaway by Erika Grahm who then passed the puck backward to Hjalmarsson in the slot for the go-ahead goal.
She shoots, she scores, she bows. <br><br>It's 1-1 🇯🇵vs 🇸🇪<br><br>WATCH: <a href="https://t.co/tobERJW07p">https://t.co/tobERJW07p</a> <a href="https://t.co/CNiI7i5JnR">pic.twitter.com/CNiI7i5JnR</a>
—@CBCOlympics