🔗 Share this article

Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as Finland engineered a remarkable 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give credit to the United States," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of great players and a well coached team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I think we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will play Czechia. The Swedes beat Latvia six to three, Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over Slovakia, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker knotted the score for the United States with 1:33 left in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second span in the third to hand Finland a two to one lead. He tied it at 2 with 7:17 to go, then set up Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Reactions

The BU defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head versus the Swiss and sitting out two games.

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their high-quality chances came from our mistakes."

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a power play with 9:45 remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right side.

C. Hutson tallied on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Stats

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

The Americans lost their last two games – falling 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their initial three matches.

"It has been an privilege to lead this group," said the team's coach. "They played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

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

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

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," 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 defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to help the Swedish side remain undefeated in five games.

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

Relegation Game Outcome

The German team won the relegation game, beating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams scored twice to help Germany keep its place next year in the top division. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.