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Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable four to three victory over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional players and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, the Finns will face Sweden, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated Latvia 6-3, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over Slovakia, and Czechia topped the Swiss by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in the third period 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 period to give Finland a two to one advantage. Tuuva tied it at 2 with 7:17 left, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Reactions

The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson had a goal and a helper for the United States after being struck in the head against the Swiss and sitting out two games.

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

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 edge on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the middle frame. He took a feed from Hutson and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

Hutson scored on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left side.

Goaltending Summary

• Finland's goalie stopped 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded 21 saves.

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

"It has been an honor to lead this group," stated the team's coach. "They played a terrific game today and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an empty emotion right now, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Additional Playoff Results

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadians overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how dominant we can be," Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing advantage, it really kills their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to help the Swedes remain perfect in their five outings.

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

Consolation Game Result

The German team won the relegation game, beating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to ensure his nation retain its spot for the following season in the main event. Denmark dropped to the second tier.