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Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"Got to give full credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, loaded with exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I said we wanted that payback from last year, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will take on the Swedish team, while the Canadians will play Czechia. Sweden beat Latvia six to three, Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs topped Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker tied it for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to give Finland a 2-1 lead. Tuuva tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, 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 Reactions

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

"I thought we executed well for a lot of the game," Hutson commented. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their Grade-A chances resulted from our errors."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 lead on a power play with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right circle.

C. 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 side.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Finland's goalie stopped 28 shots.
• Kempf made 21 saves.

The Americans lost their last two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after starting with their first three.

"It was an honor to lead this group," stated the American bench boss. "They played a great game tonight and came up just short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty emotion at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Results

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

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," B. Martin said. "Going up five-nothing advantage, it really kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman 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, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Relegation Game Outcome

The German team won the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams had two goals to ensure Germany keep its place next year in the main event. The Danish side was relegated to the second tier.