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Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three victory over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the US," remarked Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional individuals and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will face Sweden, while the Canadians will play the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat Latvia 6-3, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped the Swiss by a six to two score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in regulation and the Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to give their team a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 to go, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Reactions

The BU blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the Americans after taking a shot in 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 small details that they got, a lot of their Grade-A opportunities came from our mistakes."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 lead on a power play 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 scored on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Stats

• Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf made 21 saves.

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

"It has been an privilege to coach this team," said the team's coach. "They played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an empty emotion right now, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Additional Playoff Results

In the second match in the host city, the Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

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

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to help the Swedish side stay perfect in their five outings.

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

Consolation Match Outcome

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to help Germany keep its place next year in the main event. Denmark dropped to the second tier.