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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 last eight.

"Got to give credit to the United States," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of exceptional individuals and a well coached team. But I said we were seeking that payback from the previous final, and I believe we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, the Finns will take on Sweden, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat the Latvian side 6-3, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs topped the Swiss by a 6-2 margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker tied it for the United States with 1:33 remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to hand Finland a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva leveled the score at two-all with 7:17 left, then assisted on his teammate's game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the head against the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A chances resulted from our errors."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 lead on a man advantage with 9:45 remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

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

Goaltending Stats

• Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf made 21 saves.

The Americans lost their last two games – losing 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their initial three matches.

"It was an privilege to lead this team," said the team's coach. "They played a terrific game today and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

In the late game in Minneapolis, the Canadians routed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the second. Jack Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how powerful we are," Martin said. "Going up five-nothing advantage, it kind of kills their morale."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes stay undefeated in five games.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Consolation Match Result

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, defeating the Danes eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to help Germany keep its spot next year in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to the second tier.