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Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of overtime as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional players and a well coached team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while Canada will play the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat Latvia six to three, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a six to two margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with 1:33 remaining in the third period and the Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst in the third period to give Finland a 2-1 advantage. He tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then set up Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with 6:22 on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Contributions and Reactions

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson had a goal and a helper for the United States after taking a shot in the head versus Switzerland and sitting out the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," Hutson said. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the United States a two to one lead on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right side.

Hutson scored on a rush 35 seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left side.

Goaltending Summary

• Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf made 21 saves.

The Americans fell in their final two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after winning their first three.

"It was an privilege to coach this team," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a great game today and fell just a bit short. Give the Finns. It's an empty emotion at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

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

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and B. Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the second. J. Ivankovic made 21 saves.

"Just goes to show how dominant we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it kind of saps their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to help the Swedish side remain perfect in their five outings.

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Relegation Match Result

The German team won the consolation match, beating the Danes 8-4. Manuel Schams had two goals to help Germany retain its place for the following season in the top division. Denmark was relegated to the second tier.