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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the United States," 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 payback from last year, and I think we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while Canada will meet Czechia. Sweden defeated Latvia 6-3, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one rout over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 left in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to hand Finland a two to one lead. He leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 to go, then set up Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson had a goal and an assist for the United States after being struck in the back of the head against the Swiss and sitting out the next two contests.

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

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a man advantage with 9:45 remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

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

Goaltending Summary

• Rimpinen saved 28 shots.
• Kempf made twenty-one stops.

The Americans fell in their final two games – falling six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday in the group finale – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It has been an privilege to coach this team," said the team's coach. "They played a great game tonight and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an empty feeling right now, but our players gave it all they had."

Additional Playoff Action

In the late game in the host city, the Canadians routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," Martin said. "Going up five-nothing advantage, it kind of saps their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to help the Swedes stay undefeated in their five outings.

In Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Consolation Game Result

The German team won the relegation game, beating the Danes eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany keep its place next year in the main event. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.