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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 IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give full credit to the United States," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we wanted that payback from last year, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat Latvia six to three, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs topped Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second span in the third period to give their team a two to one advantage. He tied it at two-all with 7:17 to go, then assisted on his teammate's game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Key Performances and Reactions

The Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head against Switzerland and missing two games.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities resulted from our mistakes."

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a two to one lead on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right side.

Hutson tallied on a rush 35 seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen tied it at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Rimpinen stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder made 21 saves.

The Americans lost their last two games – falling six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday in the group finale – after starting with their first three.

"It has been an privilege to coach this group," said the team's coach. "They played a great game today and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Playoff Action

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

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

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

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes remain perfect in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Consolation Match Result

The German team won the relegation game, beating the Danes 8-4. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure his nation keep its spot for the following season in the main event. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.