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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, loaded with exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will play the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs topped the Swiss by a six to two margin.

Dramatic Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s L. Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in regulation and the Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to hand Finland a 2-1 advantage. He tied it at two-all with 7:17 left, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Contributions and Reactions

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson had a goal and a helper for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head against Switzerland and sitting out the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their Grade-A chances came from our mistakes."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman handed the United States a two to one lead on a man advantage with 9:45 remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right side.

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

Goaltending Summary

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

The Americans fell in 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 privilege to lead this team," stated the team's coach. "They played a terrific game today and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an empty feeling right now, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Additional Playoff Results

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

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the following period. J. Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it kind of saps their morale."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to help the Swedes stay perfect in five games.

In Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr provided the goals for the Czech team.

Consolation Match Result

Germany won the relegation game, beating the Danes 8-4. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany retain its place next year in the main event. Denmark was relegated to the second tier.