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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"Got to give full credit to the US," remarked Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of great individuals and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that payback from last year, and I believe we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will play Czechia. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a 6-2 margin.

Dramatic Final Frame and Overtime

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

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a 55-second burst in the third period to give their team a two to one advantage. Tuuva leveled the score at two-all with 7:17 to go, then assisted on Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Contributions and Post-Game Comments

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

"In my opinion we made good plays for most of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their high-quality opportunities resulted from our errors."

His university colleague C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the middle frame. He took a feed from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right circle.

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

Between the Pipes Stats

• Finland's goalie saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf made 21 saves.

The U.S. squad lost their final two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after starting with their first three.

"It was an privilege to lead this team," said the team's coach. "Our guys played a great game today and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our guys gave it all they had."

Additional Playoff Action

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

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how dominant we are," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it kind of kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedish side remain undefeated in five games.

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

Relegation Match Outcome

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, beating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to help Germany retain its spot for the following season in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.