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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"We must give credit to the United States," remarked Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that payback from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while Canada will play the Czech Republic. Sweden defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period 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 period to hand Finland a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 left, then assisted on Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with 6:22 on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head against Switzerland and sitting out two games.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the small details that they got, many of their high-quality chances came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the U.S. a two to one edge on a power play with 9:45 left in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right circle.

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

Between the Pipes Stats

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

The U.S. squad lost their last two games – falling six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after winning their first three.

"It has been an privilege to lead this group," said the American bench boss. "They played a great game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty emotion at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Additional Quarter-Final Results

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

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how powerful we are," Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it kind of kills their confidence."

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

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Relegation Match Outcome

Germany triumphed in the relegation game, defeating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams had two goals to help his nation keep its place next year in the top division. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.