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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable 4-3 victory over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional players and a well coached team. But I mentioned we wanted that revenge from last year, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will meet the Czech Republic. Sweden beat Latvia six to three, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over Slovakia, and the Czechs topped Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to give their team a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva tied it at two-all with 7:17 left, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Reactions

The Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson had 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.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the small details that they got, many of their high-quality chances came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the United States a 2-1 lead on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right side.

Hutson scored on a rush 35 seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Summary

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

The U.S. squad lost their final two games – losing 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after starting with their first three.

"It was an privilege to lead this team," stated the team's coach. "They played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Other Playoff Results

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it kind of saps their morale."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes stay undefeated in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Consolation Game Result

Germany won the relegation game, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure Germany retain its place for the following season in the main event. The Danish side was relegated to the second tier.