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Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three win over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give full credit to the US," stated Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I said we wanted that revenge from last year, and I think we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while Canada will meet Czechia. The Swedes beat the Latvian side six to three, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to hand Finland a two to one advantage. Tuuva tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with 6:22 on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson had a goal and a helper for the United States after being struck in the head against Switzerland and sitting out two games.

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

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

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 wing.

Goaltending Stats

• Finland's goalie saved 28 shots.
• Kempf recorded twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad fell in their last two games – falling 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their initial three matches.

"It was an privilege to coach this group," stated the American bench boss. "They played a great game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an empty emotion at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

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 P. Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

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

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

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

Consolation Game Result

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, defeating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure Germany retain its place for the following season in the main event. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.