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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 win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"Got to give full credit to the United States," remarked Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, full of great individuals and a well coached team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I think we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will face Sweden, while the Canadians will meet Czechia. The Swedes defeated the Latvian side six to three, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over Slovakia, and Czechia overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with 1:33 left in regulation and the Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third to give Finland a two to one advantage. Tuuva tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head against Switzerland and missing two games.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman said. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A chances came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a power play with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He took a feed from his teammate and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right side.

C. Hutson tallied on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left side.

Goaltending Summary

• Finland's goalie stopped 28 shots.
• The American netminder made 21 saves.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after starting with their first three.

"It was an privilege to coach this group," stated the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game today and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow emotion at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

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

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. Jack Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Going up 5-0 lead, it really saps their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to help the Swedes remain undefeated in their five outings.

In Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr provided the goals for the Czech team.

Consolation Game Result

The German team won the consolation match, defeating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure his nation keep its place next year in the top division. Denmark was relegated to the second tier.