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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 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 world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the US," stated Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, loaded with great players and a well coached team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will meet the Czech Republic. Sweden defeated the Latvian side six to three, Team Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one rout over Slovakia, and Czechia topped the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with 1:33 left in the third period and the Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to hand Finland a 2-1 advantage. He tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s 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 head versus Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"In my opinion we made good plays for most of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities came from our errors."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a man advantage with 9:45 remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and beat the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right side.

C. Hutson tallied on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second. 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 recorded twenty-one stops.

The Americans fell in their last two games – losing six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after winning their initial three matches.

"It was an privilege to lead this team," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a great game today and came up just short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow emotion right now, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Additional Playoff Results

In the late game in Minneapolis, the Canadians overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored 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," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it kind of saps their confidence."

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

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

Consolation Game Result

The German team triumphed in the consolation match, defeating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to help his nation retain its spot next year in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to the second tier.