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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 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 Aron Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, loaded with great players and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that payback from last year, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while the Canadians will play the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated the Latvian side six to three, Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second span in the third to hand Finland a 2-1 lead. Tuuva tied it at 2 with 7:17 to go, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson had a goal and a helper for the United States after being struck in the head versus the Swiss and sitting out the next two contests.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their high-quality opportunities came from our errors."

His university colleague C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a 2-1 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 quick shot from the right circle.

C. Hutson scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Stats

• Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf recorded twenty-one stops.

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

"It was an honor to coach this team," stated the team's coach. "They played a great game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an empty emotion right now, but our players left everything on the ice."

Additional Playoff Results

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," Martin said. "Going up 5-0 lead, it really saps their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to aid the Swedish side remain undefeated in five games.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, Petr Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Consolation Game Outcome

Germany won the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure his nation keep its spot for the following season in the top division. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.