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Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of overtime as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey last eight.

"Got to give credit to the US," stated Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, full of exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will play the Czech Republic. Sweden beat the Latvian side 6-3, Team Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one rout over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a six to two score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the University of Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a 55-second span in the third period to give Finland a 2-1 lead. Tuuva leveled the score at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then set up his teammate's game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Key Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the Americans after taking a shot in the head versus the Swiss and missing two games.

"I thought we made good plays for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their high-quality chances resulted from our errors."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one lead on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right circle.

C. Hutson scored on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Stats

• Finland's goalie stopped 28 shots.
• Kempf recorded twenty-one stops.

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

"It has been an privilege to lead this team," said the team's coach. "They played a great game today and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an hollow emotion at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the second match in the host city, the Canadians overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

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

"Just goes to show how dominant we are," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a 5-0 advantage, it really saps their morale."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to help the Swedish side stay undefeated in their five outings.

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

Relegation Match Result

The German team won the consolation match, beating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to help his nation retain its spot next year in the top division. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.