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Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three victory 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," remarked Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, loaded with exceptional players and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from the previous final, and I believe we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while the Canadians will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat Latvia 6-3, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over Slovakia, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third to hand Finland a two to one lead. Tuuva tied it at two-all with 7:17 left, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Key Contributions and Reactions

The BU defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head against Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their high-quality chances resulted from our mistakes."

His university colleague C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one lead on a power play with 9:45 remaining in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

C. Hutson scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left side.

Goaltending Stats

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

The Americans fell in their final two games – losing six to three to Sweden on Wednesday night in the group finale – after starting with their first three.

"It has been an honor to coach this group," said the team's coach. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow feeling right now, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Playoff Results

In the second match in the host city, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," Martin remarked. "Going up 5-0 advantage, it kind of saps their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedish side stay undefeated in five games.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr provided the goals for the Czech team.

Consolation Game Result

The German team triumphed in the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to ensure Germany keep its spot next year in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.