The Finnish Team Upsets Two-Time Reigning Champions the United States in World Junior Quarter-Finals.

Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"We must give credit to the US," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I said we wanted that revenge 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 defeated the Latvian side six to three, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 left in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second span in the third period to give Finland a two to one lead. He leveled the score at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after being struck in the back of the head against the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman said. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their high-quality opportunities came from our errors."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman gave the United States a two to one edge on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the second period. He took a feed from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right circle.

C. Hutson scored on a fast break 35 seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left side.

Goaltending Summary

• Finland's goalie stopped 28 shots.
• Kempf recorded twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – falling 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday in the group finale – after winning their initial three matches.

"It was an honor to lead this group," said the American bench boss. "They played a terrific game today and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Additional Quarter-Final Results

In the late game in the host city, the Canadians overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. Jack Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing lead, it kind of saps their morale."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to help the Swedish side stay undefeated in their five outings.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Relegation Game Outcome

The German team won the relegation game, beating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to help his nation retain its spot next year in the top division. Denmark was relegated to the second tier.