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Arttu Välilä netted the winner 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 evening in the world junior hockey last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the United States," remarked Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, loaded with exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that payback from last year, and I think we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will take on the Swedish team, while the Canadians will meet Czechia. Sweden defeated the Latvian side six to three, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a six to two score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker knotted the score for the United States with 1:33 remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a 55-second span in the third period to hand Finland a 2-1 lead. Tuuva tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Contributions and Reactions

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson had a goal and a helper for the United States 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 little bounces that they got, many of their high-quality opportunities resulted from our mistakes."

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a 2-1 lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

Hutson tallied on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left side.

Goaltending Summary

• Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder made twenty-one stops.

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

"It was an honor to coach this group," said the team's coach. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit 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 second match in Minneapolis, the Canadians routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," B. Martin said. "Going up 5-0 lead, it really kills their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to help the Swedes stay undefeated in five games.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Consolation Game Outcome

The German team won the relegation game, defeating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to help Germany retain its spot for the following season in the main event. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.