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Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

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

In the semi-finals on 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 Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Dramatic Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the University of Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to hand Finland a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the head versus the Swiss and sitting out two games.

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

His university colleague C. Eiserman gave the United States a 2-1 edge on a power play with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He took a feed from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

Hutson tallied on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Finland's goalie stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf recorded twenty-one stops.

The Americans lost their last two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after winning their initial three matches.

"It has been an privilege to coach this group," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a terrific game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to Finland. It's an hollow emotion at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Playoff Results

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

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

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," Martin remarked. "Taking a 5-0 lead, it kind of kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to help the Swedish side stay perfect in their five outings.

In Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Consolation Game Outcome

Germany won the consolation match, defeating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure his nation keep its place for the following season in the top division. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.