VANCOUVER — Karoliina Rantamaki scored when her pass was kicked into Sweden’s net 2:33 into overtime as Finland won the bronze medal in Olympic women’s hockey with a 3-2 victory Thursday.
Heidi Pelttari and Michelle Karvinen also scored for Finland, which won a women’s hockey medal for the first time since claiming bronze at the sport’s Olympic debut in 1998.
Noora Raty stopped 16 shots for the Finns, but Rantamaki ended a tight game when her cross-ice pass deflected off the leg of a Swedish player who was trying to stop Saara Tuominen from driving toward the net.
“I knew if I got it in front, we would score,” said Rantamaki, one of just two remaining players from Finland’s medal-winning team in Nagano. “It’s really unbelievable, a great feeling right now. I still can’t believe it. It’s been a long time. I waited 12 years. It was so long that I waited.”
Finland President Tarja Halonen attended the game wearing a Finnish jersey and waving the blue-and-white flag while watching from a luxury box. She even led a cheer on the public-address system late in the third period.
“Not many presidents love sports like she does,” Raty said.
Sara Grahn made 21 saves in a surprise start ahead of Swedish goalie Kim Martin, a three-time Olympian and the hero of Sweden’s historic upset of the U.S. team four years ago. Martin allowed 19 goals in her last two games against the sport’s North American powers, and coach Peter Elander went instead with his 21-year-old backup.
It was a strange Olympic sight to see Sweden in a big game without Martin, her hair pulled back in an unfamiliar ponytail, cheering for her teammates and holding open the bench door instead of stopping pucks. Martin appeared upbeat, visibly encouraging Grahn each time they were close together.
“Obviously it’s sad not to play, but I can understand it, too,” Martin said. “It’s pretty tough, but this just hasn’t been my Olympics. I think our goalie played great, but it just wasn’t our tournament.”
Danijela Rundqvist tied the game early in the third period for Sweden, and Maria Rooth also scored. Sweden will head home without a medal after winning bronze in Salt Lake City and silver in Turin.
Sweden and Finland clearly were the best of the rest in Vancouver, a notch below Canada and the United States, having played in most international tournaments in the past 10 years. Sweden beat fifth-place Switzerland 3-0 in the Olympics’ opening match, and Finland survived a tough preliminary-round game against China to reach the medal round.
Finland had scored only seven goals in the Olympics, and none in its last two games, before getting just enough to beat its closest rival.
After 24 scoreless minutes, Finland finally connected on a quick shot by Pelttari, the standout defenceman.
Then it got physical: Sweden’s Katarina Timglas, who punched Canada’s Meaghan Mikkelson in the face last week, hit Raty in the shoulder while fighting with Karvinen for a rebound. Raty knocked Timglas back with her glove, but the Swede recovered and punched Raty in the mask before they were separated. Timglas was sent to the penalty box for slashing, Karvinen for roughing.
Rooth evened it shortly afterward with an impressive deflection of Isabelle Jordansson’s shot from the point, but Karvinen put the Finns back ahead with a stellar individual play, turning the corner on Jordansson and skating in on Grahn for her first goal of the tournament.
But Rundqvist tied it again during a power play with 14:51 to play, dropping to her knees to swat home a rebound of her own shot.