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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as Finland engineered a remarkable 4-3 win over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, full of exceptional individuals and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from last year, and I believe we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semi-finals Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped the Swiss by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with 1:33 left in regulation and the Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a 55-second burst in the third to hand their team a two to one advantage. Tuuva tied it at 2 with 7:17 left, then assisted on Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Reactions

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson had a goal and a helper for the United States after being struck in the head versus the Swiss and sitting out two games.

"In my opinion we made good plays for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their Grade-A opportunities came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the United States a 2-1 edge on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

C. Hutson scored on a fast break 35 seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left side.

Goaltending Stats

• Rimpinen stopped 28 shots.
• Kempf recorded twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – falling six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after winning their initial three matches.

"It was an privilege to coach this team," stated the team's coach. "They played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give the Finns. It's an empty emotion at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how dominant we are," B. Martin said. "Going up 5-0 advantage, it really saps their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to help the Swedish side remain perfect in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Consolation Match Result

Germany won the relegation game, defeating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to ensure his nation keep its place for the following season in the top division. Denmark was relegated to the second tier.