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Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give full credit to the US," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, the Finns will face Sweden, while the Canadians will meet Czechia. The Swedes beat Latvia 6-3, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs overcame Switzerland by a six to two score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a 55-second span in the third to give Finland a two to one lead. Tuuva tied it at two-all with 7:17 to go, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Reactions

The BU defenseman C. Hutson had a goal and a helper for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head versus Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," Hutson said. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A chances came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right circle.

Hutson scored on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left side.

Goaltending Stats

• Finland's goalie stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder recorded twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad lost their final two games – falling 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It has been an honor to lead this team," stated the team's coach. "They played a great game tonight and came up just short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty feeling right now, but our guys gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the late game in the host city, the Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin tallied 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 are," Martin said. "Taking a 5-0 lead, it really kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes remain undefeated in five games.

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

Relegation Match Outcome

Germany won the consolation match, beating the Danes eight to four. M. Schams had two goals to ensure Germany retain its spot for the following season in the top division. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.