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

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

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will play Czechia. Sweden beat Latvia 6-3, Team Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame the Swiss by a six to two score.

Dramatic Third Period and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with 1:33 left in regulation and the Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a 55-second burst in the third to give their team a two to one advantage. He tied it at 2 with 7:17 left, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Contributions and Reactions

The BU blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head against the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for a lot of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their high-quality chances came from our mistakes."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman handed the U.S. a two to one lead on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

C. Hutson tallied on a rush 35 seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Finland's goalie saved 28 shots.
• Kempf made 21 saves.

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

"It was an honor to coach this team," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to Finland. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the second match in the host city, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how dominant we are," B. Martin said. "Taking a 5-0 advantage, it kind of kills their morale."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedes remain undefeated in their five outings.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Relegation Game Result

The German team won the consolation match, defeating the Danes eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to help Germany retain its spot for the following season in the main event. Denmark dropped to the second tier.