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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as Finland engineered a remarkable four to three win over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the US," stated Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we wanted that revenge from last year, and I think we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will play the Czech Republic. Sweden defeated the Latvian side six to three, Team Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs topped the Swiss by a six to two score.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds 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 span in the third to hand their team a 2-1 advantage. He tied it at 2 with 7:17 to go, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson had a goal and an assist for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head versus the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities came from our errors."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman gave the United States a 2-1 lead on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the middle frame. He took a feed from Hutson and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

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

Goaltending Stats

• Finland's goalie stopped 28 shots.
• The American netminder made twenty-one stops.

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

"It has been an honor to coach this team," said the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Additional Quarter-Final Results

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

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

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," Martin said. "Taking a 5-0 advantage, it really saps their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to help the Swedish side stay undefeated in five games.

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

Relegation Match Result

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, defeating the Danes 8-4. M. Schams had two goals to ensure his nation keep its spot next year in the main event. The Danish side was relegated to the second tier.