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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning four to three win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"Got to give credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, loaded with exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I said we wanted that payback from last year, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will play the Czech Republic. Sweden defeated the Latvian side 6-3, Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over Slovakia, and the Czechs topped Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to hand their team a two to one advantage. He leveled the score at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with 6:22 on the clock. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head versus the Swiss and missing two games.

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

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one edge on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right circle.

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

Goaltending Summary

• Rimpinen stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf recorded 21 saves.

The U.S. squad lost their final two games – losing 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after starting with their first three.

"It was an privilege to lead this group," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a terrific game today and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an hollow emotion at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Additional Playoff Results

In the late game in Minneapolis, the Canadians overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

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

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing advantage, it really saps their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to help the Swedish side remain undefeated in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Relegation Match Outcome

Germany won the consolation match, defeating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure his nation keep its spot for the following season in the main event. Denmark dropped to the second tier.