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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning four to three win over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give credit to the United States," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, full of exceptional players and a well coached team. But I mentioned we wanted that revenge from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will face the Swedish team, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. Sweden beat the Latvian side 6-3, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over Slovakia, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 remaining in the third period and the Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to give Finland a two to one advantage. He leveled the score at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then set up his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head versus Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their Grade-A opportunities resulted from our errors."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a two to one lead on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the second period. He took a feed from his teammate and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right circle.

Hutson scored on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Finland's goalie stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf made twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – losing 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It has been an privilege to lead this team," stated the American bench boss. "They played a great game today and fell just a bit short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow feeling right now, but our players left everything on the ice."

Other Playoff Results

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

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," Martin remarked. "Taking a 5-0 lead, it kind of kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedish side remain perfect in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora, J. Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Relegation Game Outcome

The German team triumphed in the consolation match, defeating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams had two goals to help Germany keep its spot for the following season in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.