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Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give credit to the United States," remarked Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I think we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will play the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat Latvia six to three, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a 6-2 margin.

Dramatic Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 remaining in regulation and the Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to give Finland a 2-1 lead. Tuuva tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with 6:22 on the clock. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the United States after being struck in the back of the head versus Switzerland and missing two games.

"I thought we executed well for a lot of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their Grade-A chances resulted from our errors."

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a two to one lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining 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 rush 35 seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf made twenty-one stops.

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

"It was an honor to lead this group," said the American bench boss. "They played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our guys gave it all they had."

Other Playoff Action

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how powerful we are," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing advantage, it kind of saps their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes remain undefeated in their five outings.

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

Consolation Game Result

Germany won the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure Germany keep its place for the following season in the top division. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.