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Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give full credit to the United States," remarked Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of great individuals and a well coached team. But I mentioned we wanted that revenge from the previous final, and I think we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, the Finns will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will play Czechia. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one rout over Slovakia, and the Czechs topped the Swiss by a six to two score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with 1:33 left in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third to hand their team a two to one lead. Tuuva tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on his teammate's game-leading goal with 6:22 on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the head versus Switzerland and sitting out two games.

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

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a two to one lead on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He took a feed 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. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left side.

Goaltending Summary

• Finland's goalie stopped 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded 21 saves.

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

"It has been an privilege to lead this group," stated the team's coach. "They played a great game tonight and came up just short. All credit to Finland. It's an hollow feeling right now, but our players gave it all they had."

Additional Playoff Results

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadians routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the second. J. Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it kind of saps their morale."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes stay perfect in five games.

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

Consolation Match Outcome

Germany won the consolation match, beating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to help Germany keep its spot for the following season in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to the second tier.