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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable four to three win over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, loaded with great players and a superbly organized team. But I said we wanted that payback from last year, and I think we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will face the Swedish team, while Canada will play the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame the Swiss by a six to two score.

Dramatic Third Period and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with 1:33 remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second span in the third period to hand Finland a two to one lead. Tuuva leveled the score at two-all with 7:17 to go, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Key Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The BU defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the back of the head versus Switzerland and sitting out the next two contests.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, many of their high-quality opportunities resulted from our errors."

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a two to one lead on a power play with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

C. Hutson tallied on a fast break 35 seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left side.

Goaltending Stats

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

The Americans fell in their last two games – losing six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It was an privilege to coach this group," said the American bench boss. "They played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow emotion right now, but our players gave it all they had."

Additional Quarter-Final Results

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

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it really kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to help the Swedes remain perfect in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Consolation Game Result

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to help his nation keep its place for the following season in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to the second tier.