KYODO NEWS - Feb 18, 2018 - 22:16 | Sports, All, News

The Japanese women's ice hockey team got sweet revenge on Sunday with a 2-1 overtime victory over Sweden at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Japan's second win means coach Takeshi Yamanaka's team next plays 2014 Sochi Games bronze medalist Switzerland for fifth place. Sweden, ranked fifth in the world, had handed ninth-ranked Japan its first loss of the games by the same score in their preliminary round Group B opener.

"We can finally celebrate. We were able to prove our worth against a higher-ranked team, and that's what I'm most happy about," Yamanaka said.

Defender Ayaka Toko secured the win with a slap shot from behind the right face-off circle that snuck under goalie Sara Grahn's left arm 3:16 into overtime.

"I knew that shot would go in the moment I took it," Toko said. "It was a good shot. It really means a lot that we won against Sweden at the Olympics."

Japan came into Kwandong Hockey Centre on the offensive, and appeared to take the lead in the first period on a Chiho Osawa slap shot down the middle. But the goal was disallowed after a challenge by Sweden coach Leif Boork, who argued forward Moeko Fujimoto had interfered with Grahn.

Japan, however, opened the scoring 1:43 into the second period, when defender Shiori Koike flicked in a backhand shot from in front of the net for her second goal of the games.

Yamanaka's team looked well-positioned for a follow-up on a power play, but Sweden forward Lisa Johansson launched a quick counterattack from the center line and beat goalie Nana Fujimoto on a breakaway, sending the puck over her left shoulder at 26:25.

The game went into overtime after both teams wasted chances to pull ahead in the third period, including one for Japan, when forward Miho Shishiuchi had a promising opportunity.

The Japanese women came to Pyeongchang having lost every match they played at both the 1998 Nagano and 2014 Sochi Games. After losses against Sweden and Switzerland in preliminary round Group B, "Smile Japan" notched its first Olympic win on Wednesday against Korea, a team fielding skaters from both North and South Korea.

In Sunday's other classification bracket game, Switzerland beat Korea 2-0, leaving the Koreans to play Sweden for seventh place.