Soderberg stopped 37 of 39 shots, many from close range. 

The Czechs, last year's bronze-game losers to Russia, will play earlier on Thursday against the loser of tonight's Finland-Russia game to decide 5th place. They had defeated Sweden in both 2014 and 2015.

"We didn't have a very good start, but we finished the game very well," Sweden's Celine Tedenby offered. "I think we were the ones who had the killer instinct."

This afternoon's game started slowly, and neither team did much to generate offense in the opening period. But in the second, Sweden got into penalty trouble and the Czechs poured it in. Only the sensational goaltending of Soderberg kept the score close.

The combination of Klara Hymlarova and Veronika Bucifalova worked a great play together to count the opening goal at 9:48 on the power play. Bucifalova looked to be circling the net but backhanded the puck out the near side, and Hymlarova potted the puck into the open side.

At this point shots were 24-6 in favour of the Czechs, and Sweden had incurred four minor penalties resulting in Czech power plays. Nevertheless, the Swedes tied the game.

Tedenby skated down the left wing and rifled a hard, high shot over the blocker of Katerina Zechovska at 12:19 to make it 1-1. But the Hymlarova-Bucifalova duo were not done yet. They took advantage of sloppy defence by Sweden in front of its own goal and a nice pass from Hymlarova to Bucifalova at 15:02 resulted in the Czechs’ second goal.

The Swedes came out flying to start the third and tied the game again just 1:26 in. Jessica Adolfsson's quick shot was deflected in front by Emma Muren, and just like that a lop-sided game teritorially was tied, 2-2.

Then, midway through the final period, the Swedes took their first lead on a power play of their own. Tedenby slapped her stick on the ice calling for the puck as teammate Hanna Olsson assessed her options. Olsson made the pass, and Tedenby fired a great shot over Zechovska's shoulder.