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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"We must give full credit to the US," stated Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, loaded with exceptional individuals and a well coached team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat Latvia 6-3, Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one rout over Slovakia, and the Czechs topped Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to give their team a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 to go, then set up his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after being struck in the head against the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the small details that they got, many of their high-quality opportunities resulted from our errors."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman handed the U.S. a 2-1 lead on a power play with 9:45 left in the second period. He took a feed from his teammate and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

C. Hutson tallied on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Finland's goalie saved twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder recorded twenty-one stops.

The Americans fell in their last two games – losing 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It was an honor to coach this group," stated the team's coach. "They played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow feeling right now, but our guys gave it all they had."

Additional Quarter-Final Results

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing lead, it really kills their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedes remain undefeated in their five outings.

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

Consolation Game Result

The German team won the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams scored twice to ensure his nation retain its spot for the following season in the main event. Denmark dropped to Division I-A.