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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as Finland engineered a remarkable four to three victory over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of great individuals and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals Sunday, the Finns will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will play Czechia. The Swedes beat Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to hand Finland a two to one advantage. Tuuva tied it at 2 with 7:17 to go, then set up his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head versus the Swiss and missing two games.

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

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the United States a two to one lead on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right circle.

Hutson scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Finland's goalie saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder made 21 saves.

The Americans fell in their final two games – falling 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It has been an privilege to lead this group," stated the American bench boss. "They played a great game today and came up just short. All credit to Finland. It's an hollow feeling right now, but our players left everything on the ice."

Additional Playoff Action

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

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," Martin said. "Going up 5-0 lead, it really kills their morale."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes remain perfect in their five outings.

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

Relegation Game Outcome

The German team won 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 main event. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.