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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning four to three victory over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"Got to give full credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, loaded with great individuals and a superbly organized team. But I said we wanted that payback from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will face the Swedish team, while Canada will meet Czechia. The Swedes defeated the Latvian side 6-3, Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 margin.

Dramatic Third Period and Extra Session

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to give Finland a two to one lead. Tuuva leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 to go, then assisted on Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with 6:22 on the clock. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU defenseman Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the head versus the Swiss and sitting out two games.

"I thought we made good plays for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the United States a 2-1 edge on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right circle.

C. Hutson scored on a rush 35 seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Summary

• Rimpinen saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded 21 saves.

The Americans fell in their final two games – losing six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday in the group finale – after starting with their first three.

"It was an honor to coach this group," stated the team's coach. "They played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give Finland. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

In the late game in the host city, the Canadians routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how powerful we are," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it kind of saps their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes stay undefeated in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Consolation Game Result

Germany triumphed in the relegation game, beating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to help his nation retain its place for the following season in the top division. Denmark dropped to the second tier.