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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey last eight.

"Got to give credit to the United States," remarked Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of exceptional individuals and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will meet Czechia. Sweden beat Latvia 6-3, Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one rout over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a six to two score.

Dramatic Third Period and Extra Session

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

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third to give their team 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 six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the Americans after being struck in the head against Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "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 man advantage with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

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.

Goaltending Summary

• Finland's goalie saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf recorded twenty-one stops.

The Americans lost their last two games – losing six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after winning their first three.

"It has been an honor to lead this group," stated the American bench boss. "They played a terrific game tonight and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow 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 overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," Martin said. "Going up five-nothing lead, it really kills their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to help the Swedes remain undefeated in five games.

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

Relegation Match Outcome

The German team won the relegation game, defeating Denmark 8-4. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany keep its spot for the following season in the top division. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.