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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"Got to give credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I think we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will play the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat Latvia 6-3, Team Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third to give Finland a two to one advantage. He leveled the score at two-all with 7:17 to go, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the head against Switzerland and missing two games.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," Hutson said. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their Grade-A chances resulted from our errors."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one edge on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the middle frame. He took a feed from Hutson and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

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

Between the Pipes Stats

• Rimpinen stopped 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded twenty-one stops.

The Americans fell in their final two games – losing six to three to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after winning their initial three matches.

"It has been an honor to lead this team," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow feeling right now, but our players gave it all they had."

Additional Quarter-Final Action

In the late game in the host city, the Canadians overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," Martin said. "Taking a five-nothing advantage, it really kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedish side remain undefeated in their five outings.

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

Consolation Game Outcome

Germany triumphed in the relegation game, beating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to ensure his nation keep its spot next year in the top division. Denmark dropped to the second tier.