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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"Got to give credit to the United States," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of great individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from last year, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, the Finns will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will meet Czechia. Sweden defeated Latvia 6-3, Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over Slovakia, and the Czechs topped the Swiss by a 6-2 margin.

Dramatic Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie 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 tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner C. 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 the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their Grade-A chances resulted from our errors."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman gave the United States a 2-1 edge on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the middle frame. He took a feed from Hutson and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

C. Hutson tallied on a rush 35 seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen tied it at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Summary

• Finland's goalie saved twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder recorded twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad fell in their last two games – falling 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It was an honor to lead this team," said the American bench boss. "Our guys 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 gave it all they had."

Additional Playoff Results

In the late game in Minneapolis, the Canadians routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," Martin said. "Going up 5-0 lead, it kind of kills their morale."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to help the Swedes remain perfect in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and Jakub Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Consolation Match Result

Germany won the consolation match, defeating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams scored twice to help Germany keep its place for the following season in the main event. The Danish side was relegated to the second tier.