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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give credit to the US," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of exceptional players and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from last year, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, Finland will face 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 Czechia overcame Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker tied it for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a 55-second span in the third period to hand their team a two to one advantage. Tuuva tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the United States after taking a shot in the head versus Switzerland and sitting out the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for a lot of the game," Hutson commented. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A chances came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one edge on a man advantage with 9:45 remaining in the second period. He took a feed from his teammate and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

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

Goaltending Summary

• Rimpinen saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded 21 saves.

The U.S. squad lost their last two games – losing six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after starting with their first three.

"It has been an privilege to coach this group," said the American bench boss. "They played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Additional Playoff Action

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team 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 P. Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how dominant we are," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a 5-0 lead, it kind of saps their morale."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to help the Swedes stay undefeated in five games.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and Jakub Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Consolation Game Result

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to ensure his nation retain its place for the following season in the top division. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.