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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as Finland engineered a remarkable 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the US," stated Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, loaded with great players and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I believe we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will play Czechia. The Swedes beat Latvia six to three, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a six to two score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Overtime

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

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third to give Finland a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then assisted on Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Key Performances and Reactions

The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson had a goal and an assist for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head against Switzerland and sitting out two games.

"In my opinion we made good plays for most of the game," Hutson said. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A chances resulted from our mistakes."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman handed the United States a two to one lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right circle.

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

Between the Pipes Stats

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

The Americans lost their last two games – losing 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday in the group finale – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It was an honor to lead this group," said the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty emotion right now, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadians overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how dominant we can be," B. Martin said. "Taking a five-nothing advantage, it really kills their morale."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes stay undefeated in their five outings.

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

Consolation Game Outcome

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, defeating the Danes 8-4. Manuel Schams had two goals to ensure his nation retain its spot for the following season in the top division. Denmark dropped to the second tier.