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Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the United States," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, full of exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I think we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will play Czechia. Sweden beat the Latvian side six to three, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a 6-2 margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the University of Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a 55-second span in the third to hand their team a 2-1 advantage. He tied it at 2 with 7:17 to go, then assisted on Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with 6:22 on the clock. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Reactions

The BU defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the United States after being struck in the back of the head versus the Swiss and sitting out the next two contests.

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

His university colleague Cole Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 lead on a power play with 9:45 left in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right side.

C. Hutson scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left side.

Goaltending Summary

• Finland's goalie saved 28 shots.
• Kempf made 21 saves.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – falling 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday in the group finale – after winning their initial three matches.

"It has been an honor to coach this group," stated the American bench boss. "Our guys played a great game tonight and came up just short. All credit to Finland. It's an hollow feeling right now, but our guys gave it all they had."

Additional Quarter-Final Results

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

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how powerful we are," Martin remarked. "Taking a 5-0 advantage, it kind of kills their morale."

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

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

Consolation Game Result

Germany won the relegation game, beating the Danes eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany retain its spot for the following season in the top division. Denmark was relegated to the second tier.