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Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the US," remarked Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from the previous final, and I believe we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will take on the Swedish team, while the Canadians will play Czechia. The Swedes beat Latvia 6-3, Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one rout over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a six to two score.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the University of 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 period to hand Finland a two to one advantage. Tuuva leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 to go, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the back of the head against the Swiss and sitting out the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for a lot of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their high-quality chances came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the United States a two to one lead 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 tallied on a rush 35 seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Finland's goalie saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – losing 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It was an privilege to lead this group," stated the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game today and came up just short. All credit to the Finns. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the late game in Minneapolis, the Canadians routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the following period. J. Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing advantage, it kind of kills their confidence."

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

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Consolation Match Result

Germany triumphed in the relegation game, beating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany keep its spot next year in the main event. Denmark dropped to Division I-A.