🔗 Share this article

Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as Finland engineered a remarkable 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the United States," remarked Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I believe we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semi-finals Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. Sweden beat Latvia six to three, Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Final Frame and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to give Finland a two to one lead. Tuuva tied it at two-all with 7:17 left, then assisted on Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson had a goal and an assist for the Americans after being struck in the head versus 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 small details that they got, many of their Grade-A chances resulted from our mistakes."

His university colleague C. Eiserman handed the United States a two to one edge on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the middle frame. He took a feed from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

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

Goaltending Summary

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

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

"It was an privilege to lead this team," stated the American bench boss. "They played a terrific game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow emotion at the moment, but our guys gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

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

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," Martin said. "Taking a 5-0 advantage, it really saps their morale."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to help the Swedish side remain perfect in five games.

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

Relegation Game Outcome

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to help Germany keep its spot for the following season in the main event. Denmark was relegated to the second tier.