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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three victory over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"Got to give full credit to the United States," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, full of great players and a well coached team. But I mentioned we wanted that payback from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, the Finns will face Sweden, while the Canadians will meet Czechia. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped the Swiss by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the University of Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst in the third to give their team a 2-1 lead. Tuuva tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after being struck in the head against Switzerland and sitting out the next two contests.

"I thought we made good plays for a lot of the game," Hutson said. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their high-quality chances came from our mistakes."

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a 2-1 lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right circle.

C. Hutson scored 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.

Goaltending Summary

• Finland's goalie saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – losing six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after winning their initial three matches.

"It has been an honor to coach this team," said the American bench boss. "They played a terrific game tonight and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow feeling right now, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Additional Playoff Action

In the late game in the host city, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," Martin remarked. "Taking a 5-0 advantage, it really kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedish side remain perfect in five games.

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

Relegation Match Outcome

The German team won the relegation game, defeating the Danes 8-4. Manuel Schams scored twice to help his nation retain its place for the following season in the top division. Denmark dropped to Division I-A.