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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning four to three win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the world junior hockey last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of great individuals and a superbly organized 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 take on Sweden, while Canada will play the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated the Latvian side six to three, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs overcame Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker tied it for the United States with 1:33 left in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst in the third period to give Finland a 2-1 advantage. He tied it at two-all with 7:17 to go, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Reactions

The BU defenseman Cole Hutson had a goal and a helper for the United States after being struck in the back of the head against Switzerland and sitting out the next two contests.

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

His BU teammate C. Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the second period. He took a feed from Hutson and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right circle.

Hutson scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Rimpinen saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder made twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad lost their last two games – losing six to three to Sweden on Wednesday night in the group finale – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It was an honor to coach this group," said the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and came up just short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Additional Quarter-Final Action

In the late game in Minneapolis, the Canadians overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a 5-0 lead, it kind of kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defender Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to help the Swedish side remain perfect in five games.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr provided the goals for the Czechs.

Consolation Match Result

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, defeating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure Germany keep its spot next year in the top division. Denmark was relegated to the second tier.