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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"Got to give full credit to the United States," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with great players and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we wanted that payback from last year, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will take on Sweden, while Canada will meet Czechia. Sweden defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with 1:33 left in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second span in the third to give their team a two to one lead. He tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with 6:22 on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the United States after taking a shot in the head versus the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we made good plays 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 university colleague C. Eiserman gave the United States a two to one edge on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate 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 snap shot from the left side.

Goaltending Summary

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

The Americans fell in their last two games – losing six to three to Sweden on Wednesday in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It has been an honor to lead this group," said the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game today and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an empty feeling right now, but our players gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the late game in the host city, the Canadians overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how dominant we can be," B. Martin said. "Going up five-nothing advantage, it kind of kills their morale."

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

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

Consolation Game Result

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, defeating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to help his nation keep its spot for the following season in the main event. Denmark was relegated to the second tier.