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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three win over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"Got to give credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional individuals and a well coached team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while Canada will meet Czechia. Sweden beat Latvia 6-3, Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 rout over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst in the third to give Finland a 2-1 advantage. He tied it at two-all with 7:17 left, then assisted on Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson had a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the back of the head against the Swiss and sitting out the next two contests.

"I thought we made good plays for a lot of the game," Hutson said. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their high-quality opportunities resulted from our errors."

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the United States a two to one lead on a power play with 9:45 left in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

Hutson tallied on a fast break 35 seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Rimpinen saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder made 21 saves.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It has been an privilege to lead this group," stated the American bench boss. "Our guys played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give Finland. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Additional Quarter-Final Action

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

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a 5-0 advantage, it really saps their confidence."

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

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

Relegation Game Outcome

The German team triumphed in the consolation match, defeating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure Germany retain its place next year in the main event. Denmark dropped to Division I-A.