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Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of great individuals and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I believe we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will play Czechia. Sweden beat the Latvian side 6-3, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one rout over Slovakia, and Czechia overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third to give Finland a 2-1 lead. He leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 to go, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head versus Switzerland and missing two games.

"I thought we made good plays for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their high-quality opportunities came from our errors."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman gave the United States a two to one edge on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the second period. He took a feed from Hutson and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

Hutson tallied on a fast break 35 seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Finland's goalie saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder made twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad lost their last two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It has been an honor to lead this group," stated the team's coach. "They played a great game today and fell just a bit short. Give Finland. It's an empty emotion right now, but our guys gave it all they had."

Additional Quarter-Final Action

In the second match in the host city, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," Martin said. "Taking a 5-0 lead, it really saps their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedish side remain perfect in their five outings.

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

Relegation Match Outcome

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, defeating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to ensure his nation keep its place for the following season in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.