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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable four to three victory over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional individuals and a well coached team. But I mentioned we wanted that revenge from the previous final, and I believe we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will play Czechia. The Swedes beat Latvia 6-3, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 margin.

Dramatic Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with 1:33 left in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to give their team a two to one advantage. He leveled the score at two-all with 7:17 left, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Key Performances and Reactions

The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson had a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head versus Switzerland and sitting out the next two contests.

"In my opinion we made good plays for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities resulted from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 edge on a power play with 9:45 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 scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Rimpinen stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder made twenty-one stops.

The Americans fell in their final two games – losing six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It was an privilege to lead this team," said the American bench boss. "They played a great game today and fell just a bit short. Give Finland. It's an empty emotion at the moment, but our guys gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadians routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how dominant we can be," Martin said. "Going up 5-0 advantage, it really kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to help the Swedish side stay undefeated in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Relegation Match Outcome

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, defeating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to ensure his nation retain its spot for the following season in the main event. Denmark dropped to the second tier.