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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as Finland engineered a remarkable four to three win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the US," stated Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional individuals and a well coached team. But I mentioned we wanted that payback from last year, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will meet Czechia. The Swedes defeated the Latvian side six to three, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs topped Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker tied it for the United States with 1:33 remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second span in the third to hand Finland a 2-1 lead. Tuuva tied it at two-all with 7:17 to go, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Reactions

The BU defenseman Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head versus Switzerland and sitting out the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 lead on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the middle frame. He took a feed from Hutson and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right circle.

Hutson scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Stats

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

The U.S. squad lost their final two games – losing 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after starting with their first three.

"It has been an honor to lead this team," stated the team's coach. "They played a terrific game today and fell just a bit 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 five-goal first.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," Martin said. "Taking a 5-0 lead, it really kills their morale."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to help the Swedish side stay perfect in their five outings.

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

Consolation Match Outcome

The German team won the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to help his nation retain its place next year in the top division. Denmark dropped to Division I-A.