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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 four to three win over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, full of exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will meet Czechia. Sweden beat the Latvian side 6-3, Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

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

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to hand Finland a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then set up his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 remaining. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Key Contributions and Reactions

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

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A chances came from our errors."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the United States a two to one lead on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right circle.

C. Hutson tallied on a fast break 35 seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder recorded 21 saves.

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

"It has been an privilege to lead this team," stated the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game today and fell just a bit short. Give Finland. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our guys gave it all they had."

Additional Quarter-Final Results

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

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the first period, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how powerful we are," B. Martin remarked. "Going up 5-0 lead, it really saps their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedes stay perfect in five games.

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

Relegation Game Outcome

Germany won the relegation game, defeating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure his nation keep its place next year in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to the second tier.