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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"Got to give credit to the United States," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, loaded with exceptional players and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals Sunday, the Finns will face Sweden, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. Sweden beat the Latvian side six to three, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one rout over Slovakia, and Czechia overcame the Swiss by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker tied it for the United States with 1:33 left in the third period and the Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst in the third period to hand Finland a 2-1 advantage. He tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then set up Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with 6:22 on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the head versus the Swiss and sitting out the next two contests.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities resulted from our mistakes."

His university colleague C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one lead on a power play with 9:45 left in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

Hutson scored on a rush 35 seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Finland's goalie stopped 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded 21 saves.

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

"It was an privilege to coach this team," said the team's coach. "Our guys played a great game today and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow emotion right now, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Additional Quarter-Final Action

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

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing advantage, it really saps their morale."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedes remain perfect in five games.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Consolation Game Outcome

Germany triumphed in the relegation game, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to help Germany retain its spot for the following season in the top division. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.