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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable 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 full credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, loaded with great individuals and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I believe we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will meet Czechia. Sweden defeated Latvia six to three, Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a 55-second span in the third period to give their team a two to one advantage. Tuuva tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner C. Hutson had a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head against Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their Grade-A opportunities came from our errors."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman gave the United States a two to one edge on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

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

Between the Pipes Stats

• Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder made 21 saves.

The Americans lost their last two games – falling 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It has been an privilege to lead this group," stated the American bench boss. "They played a great game tonight and came up just short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our guys gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," Martin said. "Taking a five-nothing advantage, it really kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to help the Swedes stay undefeated in five games.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Relegation Game Outcome

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, beating the Danes 8-4. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany retain its spot next year in the top division. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.