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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of great individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from last year, and I believe we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will face the Swedish team, while Canada will play the Czech Republic. Sweden beat the Latvian side 6-3, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one rout over Slovakia, and the Czechs topped Switzerland by a 6-2 margin.

Dramatic Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to hand Finland a two to one advantage. Tuuva tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then set up his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Contributions and Reactions

The BU defenseman C. Hutson had a goal and an assist for the Americans after being struck in the head against the Swiss and missing two games.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," Hutson said. "But the small details that they got, many of their high-quality chances came from our mistakes."

His university colleague Cole 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 accepted a pass from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

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

Goaltending Stats

• Finland's goalie saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf recorded 21 saves.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after winning their first three.

"It has been an honor to lead this group," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give Finland. It's an empty emotion at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Results

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

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how dominant we are," B. Martin remarked. "Going up 5-0 advantage, it kind of kills their morale."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to aid the Swedish side stay undefeated in five games.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, Petr Sikora, J. Klima and Jakub Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Consolation Game Outcome

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, defeating Denmark 8-4. M. Schams had two goals to help his nation keep its place next year in the top division. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.