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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"We must give credit to the United States," remarked Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional individuals and a well coached team. But I said we wanted that payback from the previous final, and I believe we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, the Finns will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will meet Czechia. The Swedes beat Latvia six to three, Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a six to two score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker tied it for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining 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 their team a 2-1 advantage. He leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 left, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the head versus the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we made good plays for a lot of the game," Hutson said. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their high-quality chances came 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 took a feed from Hutson and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

Hutson scored on a fast break 35 seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Summary

• Rimpinen stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf recorded 21 saves.

The U.S. squad fell in their last two games – falling 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after winning their initial three matches.

"It was an honor to coach this group," said the American bench boss. "They played a terrific game tonight and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Additional Quarter-Final Results

In the late game in the host city, the Canadians routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the second. J. Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," Martin remarked. "Going up 5-0 lead, it kind of saps their morale."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to help the Swedish side stay perfect in five games.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Consolation Match Result

Germany triumphed in the relegation game, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure his nation keep its spot next year in the main event. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.