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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three victory over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, loaded with great players and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I believe we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while the Canadians will meet Czechia. The Swedes beat the Latvian side 6-3, Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over Slovakia, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Dramatic Third Period and Overtime

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

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third to hand their team a two to one lead. He leveled the score at two-all with 7:17 left, then assisted on Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable 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 sitting out two games.

"I thought we made good plays for a lot of the game," Hutson commented. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities came from our errors."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a two to one edge on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He took a feed from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

Hutson scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Finland's goalie saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad lost their final two games – losing 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It was an privilege to lead this group," said the team's coach. "They played a great game today and came up just 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 overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how dominant we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it really kills their morale."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to aid the Swedish side remain undefeated in five games.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Consolation Match Result

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, defeating the Danes 8-4. M. Schams had two goals to ensure his nation keep its place next year in the top division. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.