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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give full credit to the US," stated Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we wanted that revenge from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will play Czechia. Sweden beat Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one rout over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs topped Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in the third period and the University of Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to hand their team a 2-1 advantage. He tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Key Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the Americans after taking a shot in the head against the Swiss and missing two games.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," Hutson said. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A chances came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the United States a two to one lead on a power play with 9:45 remaining in the second period. He took a feed from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

C. Hutson tallied on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf made 21 saves.

The Americans fell in their final two games – losing six to three to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after starting with their first three.

"It has been an honor to coach this group," stated the American bench boss. "They played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow emotion at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Additional Playoff Results

In the late game in Minneapolis, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the second. J. Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a 5-0 lead, it really kills their morale."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to help the Swedes remain undefeated in their five outings.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Consolation Game Result

Germany won the relegation game, defeating the Danes 8-4. Manuel Schams had two goals to help Germany retain its spot next year in the top division. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.