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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable four to three victory over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"Got to give credit to the US," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, loaded with great individuals and a well coached team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

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

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with 1:33 remaining in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a 55-second burst in the third to hand Finland a two to one advantage. He leveled the score at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then assisted on his teammate's game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Key Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson had a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head versus Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"In my opinion we made good plays for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their high-quality chances came from our mistakes."

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a 2-1 lead on a power play with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He took a feed from Hutson and beat the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right side.

Hutson tallied on a rush 35 seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Finland's goalie stopped 28 shots.
• Kempf recorded twenty-one stops.

The Americans lost their last two games – losing 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It was an honor to coach this group," said the American bench boss. "They played a great game today and came up just short. All credit to Finland. It's an hollow emotion right now, but our players left everything on the ice."

Additional Playoff Action

In the late game in Minneapolis, the Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

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

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to help the Swedes remain perfect in their five outings.

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

Relegation Game Result

The German team triumphed in the consolation match, defeating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to help his nation retain its spot next year in the top division. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.