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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 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give full credit to the US," stated Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of exceptional individuals and a well coached team. But I said we wanted that payback from last year, and I believe we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, the Finns will face Sweden, while the Canadians will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated the Latvian side 6-3, Team Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped the Swiss by a 6-2 margin.

Dramatic Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a 55-second burst in the third to give their team a 2-1 lead. Tuuva tied it at 2 with 7:17 left, then assisted on Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Key Contributions and Reactions

The BU blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head versus the Swiss and missing two games.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman said. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their high-quality chances resulted from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 edge on a power play with 9:45 remaining in the middle frame. He took a feed from Hutson and beat the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right side.

Hutson scored on a fast break 35 seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Stats

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

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – falling 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It was an honor to lead this group," stated the American bench boss. "They played a great game today and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Playoff Results

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

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the second. J. Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing advantage, it kind of saps their morale."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedes stay perfect in their five outings.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, Petr Sikora, J. Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Relegation Game Result

Germany won the relegation game, beating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to help Germany retain its spot for the following season in the main event. Denmark dropped to Division I-A.