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Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of extra time as Finland engineered a remarkable four to three win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give credit to the United States," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, loaded with 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 this evening."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 rout over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs overcame Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third to hand their team a two to one lead. He leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 left, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Reactions

The BU blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after being struck in the head versus the Swiss and sitting out the next two contests.

"I thought we made good plays for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their Grade-A opportunities came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the U.S. a 2-1 lead on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the second period. He took a feed from his teammate and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

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

Goaltending Stats

• Finland's goalie saved twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder recorded 21 saves.

The Americans fell in their last two games – losing 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after winning their first three.

"It has been an honor to lead this team," said the team's coach. "They played a terrific game today and fell just a bit short. Give Finland. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

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

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing lead, it really kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedes stay undefeated in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr provided the goals for the Czech team.

Relegation Match Result

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, beating the Danes 8-4. M. Schams scored twice to help his nation retain its spot next year in the top division. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.