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Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as Finland engineered a remarkable four to three win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the United States," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of exceptional players and a well coached team. But I said we wanted that revenge from last year, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while Canada will play the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs overcame Switzerland by a six to two score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with 1:33 remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second span in the third period to hand Finland a 2-1 lead. Tuuva tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then set up his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 remaining. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Key Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the United States after being struck in the back of the head versus Switzerland and missing two games.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman said. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their high-quality chances came from our errors."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a power play with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

Hutson tallied on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen tied it at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left side.

Goaltending Stats

• Finland's goalie stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder made 21 saves.

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

"It has been an privilege to coach this team," said the American bench boss. "They played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit 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 Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the first period, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the following period. Jack Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it really saps their confidence."

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

In Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Relegation Game Result

The German team triumphed in the consolation match, defeating the Danes 8-4. M. Schams had two goals to ensure Germany retain its spot for the following season in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.