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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as Finland engineered a remarkable four to three victory over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the United States," remarked Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of great players and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that payback from the previous final, and I think we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while the Canadians will play Czechia. Sweden defeated Latvia 6-3, Team Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped Switzerland 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 regulation and the Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second span in the third to give Finland a two to one advantage. He tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Key Performances and Reactions

The BU blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the back of the head versus the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," Hutson said. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their high-quality opportunities resulted from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the United States a two to one lead on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from Hutson and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right circle.

Hutson tallied on a fast break 35 seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen tied it 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 U.S. squad lost their final two games – losing six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It was an honor to coach this team," stated the team's coach. "They played a terrific game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an empty feeling right now, but our guys gave it all they had."

Other Playoff Action

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

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing lead, it kind of saps their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to help the Swedes stay perfect in five games.

In Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Consolation Match Outcome

Germany won the relegation game, defeating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams scored twice to help Germany keep its spot next year in the main event. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.