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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning four to three win over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"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 individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from last year, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while the Canadians will play Czechia. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a six to two score.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to hand their team a two to one advantage. He leveled the score 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 assisted on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Reactions

The BU blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the head versus Switzerland and sitting out two games.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, many of their high-quality chances resulted from our mistakes."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman handed the U.S. a two to one lead on a power play with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He took a feed from his teammate and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right side.

C. Hutson scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen tied it at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Finland's goalie saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – falling 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after starting with their first three.

"It was an honor to lead this team," said the American bench boss. "They played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give Finland. It's an empty feeling right now, but our players left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

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

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

"Just goes to show how powerful we are," Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it really kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedes stay perfect in five games.

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

Consolation Game Result

The German team won the relegation game, defeating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to help his nation retain its spot next year in the main event. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.