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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"We must give credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, full of great players and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while the Canadians will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over Slovakia, and Czechia overcame the Swiss by a six to two score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to hand Finland a 2-1 lead. He leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 to go, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Key Performances and Reactions

The Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head versus Switzerland and sitting out the next two contests.

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman said. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their Grade-A chances resulted from our mistakes."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman gave the United States a two to one edge on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from Hutson and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right circle.

C. Hutson scored on a fast break 35 seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf recorded 21 saves.

The Americans fell in their final two games – losing six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – 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. All credit to the Finns. It's an empty feeling right now, but our players left everything on the ice."

Other Playoff Results

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

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

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," B. Martin remarked. "Going up 5-0 lead, it really kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to help the Swedish side remain undefeated in their five outings.

In Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Relegation Game Outcome

Germany won the relegation game, defeating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany retain its spot for the following season in the main event. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.