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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable 4-3 victory over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"Got to give credit to the United States," stated Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, full of great individuals and a well coached team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals Sunday, the Finns will take on Sweden, while Canada will play the Czech Republic. Sweden defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs topped Switzerland by a six to two score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee 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 N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst in the third to give Finland a two to one lead. He leveled the score at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Reactions

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head versus Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," Hutson said. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A chances came from our errors."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman handed the U.S. a 2-1 lead on a power play with 9:45 left in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

Hutson tallied on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Stats

• Finland's goalie saved 28 shots.
• Kempf recorded 21 saves.

The U.S. squad lost their final two games – losing 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after winning their initial three matches.

"It has been an privilege to lead this team," stated the American bench boss. "They played a great game tonight and came up just short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow emotion at the moment, but our guys gave it all they had."

Additional Quarter-Final Action

In the second match in the host city, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the following period. Jack Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how dominant we are," B. Martin said. "Going up five-nothing advantage, it kind of kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedes remain undefeated in five games.

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

Relegation Game Outcome

The German team won the relegation game, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to help Germany keep its spot for the following season in the main event. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.