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Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three win over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the US," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I believe we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. Sweden beat Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over Slovakia, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 margin.

Dramatic Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with 1:33 left in the third period and the University of Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third to give their team a 2-1 lead. He leveled the score at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The BU defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the head against Switzerland and sitting out two games.

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their Grade-A opportunities came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the United States a 2-1 edge on a man advantage with 9:45 remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

Hutson scored on a fast break 35 seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Stats

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

The Americans lost their last two games – losing six to three to Sweden on Wednesday in the group finale – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It was an privilege to lead this team," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a great game tonight and came up just short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty feeling right now, but our guys gave it all they had."

Additional Playoff Action

In the late game in the host city, the Canadians routed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing advantage, it kind of kills their morale."

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

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Consolation Match Result

The German team won the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams had two goals to ensure his nation retain its place next year in the main event. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.