The Finnish Team Upsets Back-to-Back Defending Title Holders the United States in World Junior Quarter-Finals.

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

"Got to give credit to the US," stated Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, full of exceptional players and a well coached team. But I mentioned we wanted that revenge from last year, and I believe we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while Canada will play Czechia. Sweden beat the Latvian side 6-3, Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst in the third to hand their team a two to one lead. He tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then assisted on Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper 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.

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

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the middle frame. He took a feed from Hutson and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right side.

Hutson scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Rimpinen saved 28 shots.
• Kempf made 21 saves.

The U.S. squad fell in their last two games – falling 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It has been an honor to lead this group," stated the team's coach. "They played a terrific game today and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Additional Playoff Results

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

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," Martin said. "Going up 5-0 lead, it really kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to help the Swedes remain perfect in five games.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Relegation Match Outcome

Germany triumphed in the relegation game, beating the Danes 8-4. Manuel Schams had two goals to ensure his nation retain its place next year in the main event. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.