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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning four to three win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, loaded with exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I said we wanted that payback from the previous final, and I think we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will meet Czechia. Sweden defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one rout over Slovakia, and Czechia overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the University of Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second span in the third to give their team a two to one advantage. He leveled the score at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Reactions

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the Americans after taking a shot in the back of the head against the Swiss and missing two games.

"I thought we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their high-quality chances came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the U.S. a two to one lead on a man advantage with 9:45 remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled 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 tied it at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left side.

Goaltending Stats

• Rimpinen saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder made twenty-one stops.

The Americans lost their final two games – falling six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their first three.

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

Other Playoff Action

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

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," Martin said. "Going up five-nothing advantage, it kind of saps their morale."

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

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Consolation Game Result

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, beating the Danes eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to help his nation retain its place next year in the top division. Denmark dropped to Division I-A.