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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"Got to give full credit to the US," remarked Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, full of great players and a superbly organized team. But I said we wanted that payback from last year, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will play Czechia. Sweden defeated Latvia 6-3, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker knotted the score for the United States with 1:33 left in the third period and the University of Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to hand Finland a two to one lead. He leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 to go, then set up Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Contributions and Reactions

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head versus the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their Grade-A opportunities resulted from our mistakes."

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from Hutson and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

C. Hutson tallied on a rush 35 seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Summary

• Rimpinen stopped 28 shots.
• Kempf made 21 saves.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – losing 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after winning their first three.

"It was an honor to lead this group," stated the American bench boss. "Our guys played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give the Finns. It's an empty emotion right now, but our players left everything on the ice."

Other Playoff Action

In the second match in the host city, the Canadians routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," B. Martin said. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it kind of kills their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes stay perfect in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Relegation Game Result

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, defeating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to ensure Germany keep its place for the following season in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.