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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning four to three victory over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday night in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"Got to give full credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, loaded with exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, the Finns will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will play Czechia. Sweden defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Dramatic Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third to give their team a two to one lead. Tuuva tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on his teammate's game-leading goal with 6:22 on the clock. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Reactions

The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson had a goal and an assist for the Americans after taking a shot in the head against Switzerland and missing two games.

"I thought we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A chances came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the United States a two to one lead on a power play with 9:45 remaining in the middle frame. He took a feed from Hutson and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right side.

Hutson scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Stats

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

The U.S. squad lost their final two games – falling 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It was an honor to coach this team," stated the American bench boss. "They played a terrific game today and came up just short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow emotion at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Additional Quarter-Final Action

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

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing lead, it really saps their morale."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to help the Swedes remain perfect in their five outings.

In Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and Jakub Fibigr provided the goals for the Czech team.

Consolation Game Outcome

Germany triumphed in the relegation game, defeating Denmark 8-4. M. Schams had two goals to ensure Germany keep its place for the following season in the top division. Denmark dropped to Division I-A.