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Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as Finland engineered a remarkable 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"We must give full credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of great individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we wanted that revenge from the previous final, and I believe we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will play the Czech Republic. Sweden beat the Latvian side 6-3, Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs topped the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the University of Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to give their team a 2-1 lead. Tuuva tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the Americans after taking a shot in the back of the head against the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we made good plays for most of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the small details that they got, many of their high-quality opportunities came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right circle.

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

Goaltending Stats

• Finland's goalie saved twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder made twenty-one stops.

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

"It has been an privilege to coach this group," said the team's coach. "They played a great game today and came up just short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty feeling right now, but our players gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Action

In the second match in the host city, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the following period. Jack Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," B. Martin said. "Going up five-nothing advantage, it kind of saps their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to help the Swedish side remain undefeated in their five outings.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Relegation Game Result

The German team triumphed in the consolation match, beating Denmark 8-4. M. Schams scored twice to help Germany retain its place next year in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.