🔗 Share this article

Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"We must give full credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of great players and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I think we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will face Sweden, while Canada will play the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat the Latvian side six to three, Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a six to two score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 left in the third period and the Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third period to give their team a 2-1 lead. He tied it at 2 with 7:17 to go, then assisted on his teammate's game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the head against the Swiss and missing two games.

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," Hutson said. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their high-quality chances resulted from our mistakes."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one lead on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the second period. He took a feed from Hutson and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

C. Hutson scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Finland's goalie saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf recorded twenty-one stops.

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

"It was an privilege to coach this group," stated the American bench boss. "They played a terrific game today and came up just short. All credit to Finland. It's an empty emotion at the moment, but our guys gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the second match in the host city, the Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the following period. J. Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," Martin said. "Taking a five-nothing advantage, it kind of kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to help the Swedish side remain perfect in five games.

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

Relegation Match Result

The German team triumphed in the consolation match, beating the Danes 8-4. Manuel Schams had two goals to help his nation retain its spot next year in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.