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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as Finland engineered a remarkable 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"We must give full credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with great players and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, Finland will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. Sweden defeated Latvia 6-3, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

Michigan State’s L. Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second span in the third to give their team a two to one advantage. Tuuva tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then assisted on Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Reactions

The BU blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after being struck in the back of the head against the Swiss and sitting out two games.

"In my opinion we executed well for a lot of the game," Hutson commented. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their high-quality chances came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman gave the United States a two to one lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

C. Hutson tallied on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Summary

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

The U.S. squad lost their final two games – falling 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It was an honor to coach this group," stated the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Additional Playoff Results

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

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a 5-0 advantage, it really kills their morale."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes stay perfect in five games.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Relegation Match Result

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, defeating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to help Germany retain its place for the following season in the top division. Denmark was relegated to the second tier.