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Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the United States," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of great players and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we wanted that revenge from last year, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a six to two margin.

Dramatic Final Frame and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to give Finland a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner C. Hutson had a goal and a helper for the United States after taking a shot in the head against the Swiss and missing two games.

"In my opinion 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 mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one edge on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

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

Goaltending Stats

• Rimpinen stopped 28 shots.
• Kempf recorded twenty-one stops.

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

"It has been an honor to lead this team," stated the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Results

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

Cole Reschny, Tij 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 made 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," B. Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing lead, it really saps their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to help the Swedes remain perfect in five games.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Consolation Game Outcome

Germany triumphed in the relegation game, defeating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to ensure his nation retain its place next year in the top division. Denmark dropped to the second tier.