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Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"Got to give full credit to the US," remarked Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional individuals and a well coached team. But I said we wanted that payback from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will meet Czechia. Sweden defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

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

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst in the third to give their team a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the back of the head against Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," Hutson said. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A chances came from our mistakes."

His university colleague C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the second period. He took a feed from his teammate and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right side.

C. Hutson scored on a rush 35 seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Finland's goalie stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf made twenty-one stops.

The Americans lost their last two games – losing 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It has been an honor to coach this team," said the American bench boss. "They played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow emotion at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Additional Quarter-Final Action

In the late game in the host city, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin scored in the first period, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how dominant we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing lead, it really saps their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedes remain undefeated in five games.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Consolation Match Outcome

Germany won the relegation game, beating the Danes eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to ensure his nation retain its spot next year in the top division. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.