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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as Finland engineered a remarkable 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the US," stated Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, 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 Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will meet the Czech Republic. Sweden defeated the Latvian side 6-3, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over Slovakia, and Czechia topped the Swiss by a six to two score.

Dramatic Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to give Finland a two to one lead. Tuuva tied it at 2 with 7:17 left, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the back of the head against Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we made good plays for most of the game," Hutson said. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities resulted from our errors."

His university colleague C. Eiserman gave the United States a two to one lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

Hutson scored on a fast break 35 seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Rimpinen stopped 28 shots.
• Kempf recorded 21 saves.

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

"It has been an honor to lead this team," stated the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to Finland. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Other Playoff Action

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

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how powerful we are," B. Martin said. "Going up 5-0 lead, it kind of kills their morale."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedish side remain undefeated in five games.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and Jakub Fibigr provided the goals for the Czech team.

Consolation Match Outcome

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, beating the Danes 8-4. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany retain its place for the following season in the main event. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.