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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I think we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, the Finns will face Sweden, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated the Latvian side 6-3, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Dramatic Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 left in regulation and the Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to give Finland a 2-1 lead. Tuuva leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 left, then set up his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Reactions

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after being struck in the head against Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman said. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities came from our errors."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one edge on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the second period. He took a feed from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right circle.

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

Between the Pipes Summary

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

The Americans fell in their last two games – falling six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after winning their first three.

"It was an honor to lead this team," stated the team's coach. "They played a great game today and fell just a bit short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

In the late game in the host city, the Canadians overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how dominant we can be," Martin said. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it kind of saps their morale."

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

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Relegation Match Outcome

The German team won the consolation match, defeating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to ensure his nation retain its spot for the following season in the main event. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.