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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable four to three victory over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the US," stated Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, full of exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that payback from last year, and I think we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will face Sweden, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. Sweden defeated the Latvian side six to three, Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 margin.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with 1:33 remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to hand their team a 2-1 lead. Tuuva tied it at 2 with 7:17 left, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Key Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson had a goal and an assist for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head versus the Swiss and sitting out the next two contests.

"I thought we made good plays for most of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities resulted from our errors."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman gave the United States a two to one edge on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the middle frame. He took a feed from his teammate and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right side.

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

Goaltending Stats

• Rimpinen stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf made 21 saves.

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

"It was an privilege to lead this group," said the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty feeling right now, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Results

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

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the following period. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing advantage, it kind of kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedish side stay perfect in their five outings.

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

Relegation Match Outcome

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, beating Denmark 8-4. M. Schams had two goals to help his nation retain its spot next year in the top division. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.