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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable four to three win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we wanted that revenge from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, the Finns will take on Sweden, while Canada will play Czechia. The Swedes defeated the Latvian side 6-3, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Final Frame 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 J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst in the third to give Finland a two to one advantage. He tied it at two-all with 7:17 left, then assisted on Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with 6:22 on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The BU defenseman C. Hutson had a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head against Switzerland and missing two games.

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the small details that they got, many of their high-quality opportunities came from our errors."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 edge on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

Hutson scored on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Stats

• Finland's goalie saved twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder recorded 21 saves.

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

"It was an privilege to lead this group," said the team's coach. "Our guys played a great game tonight and came up just short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow emotion at the moment, but our guys gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Action

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how dominant we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Going up 5-0 lead, it kind of kills their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to help the Swedish side remain perfect in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Consolation Game Outcome

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, beating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams had two goals to ensure Germany keep its spot next year in the top division. Denmark dropped to the second tier.