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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three victory over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"Got to give credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of exceptional players and a well coached team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will meet the Czech Republic. Sweden defeated the Latvian side six to three, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 margin.

Thrilling Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s L. Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 remaining in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third to give Finland a two to one advantage. He tied it at two-all with 7:17 left, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with 6:22 on the clock. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Reactions

The BU defenseman Cole Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head against the Swiss and sitting out two games.

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

His university colleague C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a power play with 9:45 remaining in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

C. Hutson tallied on a rush 35 seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen tied it at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left side.

Goaltending Stats

• Finland's goalie stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder recorded twenty-one stops.

The Americans fell in their last two games – losing 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It was an honor to lead this group," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a great game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to Finland. It's an hollow feeling right now, but our players left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team 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 P. Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing lead, it really kills their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedish side stay perfect in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr provided the goals for the Czech team.

Relegation Match Outcome

Germany won the consolation match, beating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams had two goals to help his nation retain its place next year in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.