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Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning four to three victory over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"We must give full credit to the United States," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of great individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from last year, and I think we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semi-finals Sunday, the Finns will take on Sweden, while Canada will meet Czechia. The Swedes beat the Latvian side six to three, Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

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

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third to hand their team a 2-1 lead. He tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with 6:22 on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson recorded a goal and an assist 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 most of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities came from our mistakes."

His university colleague C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from Hutson and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

C. Hutson tallied on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Finland's goalie saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf recorded 21 saves.

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

"It was an honor to lead this team," stated the team's coach. "They played a great game today and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an empty emotion at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Other Playoff Action

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

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a 5-0 advantage, it really saps their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to help the Swedes stay perfect in five games.

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

Consolation Match Result

The German team won the relegation game, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to ensure his nation keep its spot for the following season in the main event. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.