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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable four to three victory over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"We must give full credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, full of great players and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I believe we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while the Canadians will meet Czechia. Sweden beat Latvia 6-3, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over Slovakia, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s L. Ryker tied it for the United States with 1:33 left in regulation and the University of Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third to hand Finland a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva leveled the score at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson had a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the head versus the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"In my opinion we executed well for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A chances came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead on a power play with 9:45 remaining in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right circle.

C. Hutson scored on a fast break 35 seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen tied it at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Stats

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

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

"It has been an privilege to coach this group," stated the team's coach. "They played a terrific game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to 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 Canadians routed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how powerful we are," B. Martin said. "Taking a five-nothing advantage, it really saps their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to help the Swedes stay perfect in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr provided the goals for the Czech team.

Relegation Game Outcome

The German team won the relegation game, beating Denmark 8-4. M. Schams had two goals to help his nation retain its spot for the following season in the top division. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.