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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable 4-3 win over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give full credit to the United States," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, full of great individuals and a well coached team. But I said we wanted that payback from the previous final, and I think we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, Finland will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated the Latvian side 6-3, Team Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third to hand Finland a 2-1 advantage. 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 on the clock. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Reactions

The BU blueliner Cole Hutson had a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head versus Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

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

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one lead on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

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

Between the Pipes Stats

• Rimpinen stopped 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded 21 saves.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – losing 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after winning their initial three matches.

"It has been an privilege to lead this group," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give the Finns. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Additional Quarter-Final Results

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

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," Martin remarked. "Going up 5-0 advantage, it kind of kills their morale."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to help the Swedes stay perfect in their five outings.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Relegation Game Result

The German team won the consolation match, beating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams had two goals to help his nation retain its spot next year in the main event. Denmark dropped to Division I-A.