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Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"We must give full credit to the United States," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with great players and a superbly organized team. But I said we wanted that revenge from last year, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will face Sweden, while Canada will meet Czechia. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one romp over Slovakia, and the Czechs topped the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with 1:33 remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a 55-second span in the third to give Finland a two to one advantage. Tuuva leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 left, then set up Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the back of the head against Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

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

His BU teammate C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one edge on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right circle.

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

Between the Pipes Summary

• Finland's goalie stopped 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded 21 saves.

The Americans fell in their last two games – losing 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It has been an privilege to lead this group," said the team's coach. "Our guys played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

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

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," Martin said. "Going up 5-0 advantage, it really saps their morale."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedish side remain perfect in their five outings.

In Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Relegation Match Outcome

Germany won the relegation game, defeating the Danes 8-4. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany retain its spot next year in the main event. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.