🔗 Share this article

Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, loaded with great players and a well coached team. But I said we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I believe we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will meet the Czech Republic. Sweden defeated Latvia 6-3, Team Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Third Period and Overtime

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

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to hand Finland a 2-1 lead. He tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then set up Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with 6:22 remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Post-Game Comments

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

"In my opinion we executed well for a lot of the game," Hutson said. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their Grade-A chances came from our errors."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a man advantage with 9:45 remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right circle.

C. Hutson tallied on a fast break 35 seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Summary

• Rimpinen stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf recorded twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad lost their final two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday in the group finale – after starting with their first three.

"It has been an privilege to coach this group," said the team's coach. "They played a terrific game today and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow emotion at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the late game in Minneapolis, 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 P. Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," Martin said. "Taking a 5-0 lead, it kind of saps their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell scored twice for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to help the Swedish side stay perfect in five games.

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

Relegation Game Result

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, beating the Danes eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to ensure his nation keep its spot for the following season in the main event. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.