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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime 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 quarter-finals.

"Got to give credit to the US," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are 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 think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, the Finns will take on Sweden, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. Sweden defeated the Latvian side 6-3, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one rout over Slovakia, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a six to two score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s L. Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with 1:33 left in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a 55-second span in the third to hand Finland a two to one lead. 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. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the head versus Switzerland and sitting out two games.

"In my opinion we made good plays for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A chances resulted from our mistakes."

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

Hutson tallied on a rush 35 seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Finland's goalie stopped 28 shots.
• Kempf made twenty-one stops.

The Americans fell in their final two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after winning their first three.

"It was an honor to coach this group," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a terrific game today and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow emotion right now, but our guys gave it all they had."

Additional Quarter-Final Results

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

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how powerful we are," B. Martin said. "Going up 5-0 lead, it kind of saps their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes remain perfect in five games.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Consolation Match Outcome

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, defeating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams scored twice to help Germany keep its place for the following season in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to the second tier.