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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as Finland engineered a remarkable 4-3 win 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," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with great players and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that payback from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while Canada will meet Czechia. The Swedes defeated Latvia 6-3, Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over Slovakia, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a six to two score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second span in the third to give Finland a two to one lead. Tuuva tied it at 2 with 7:17 to go, then assisted on Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Key Performances and Reactions

The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after being struck in the back of the head versus the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," Hutson said. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their high-quality opportunities came from our errors."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman handed the United States a 2-1 edge on a man advantage with 9:45 remaining in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right circle.

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

Goaltending Summary

• Finland's goalie saved 28 shots.
• Kempf recorded twenty-one stops.

The Americans lost their final two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their first three.

"It was an privilege to lead this group," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow feeling right now, but our players left everything on the ice."

Other Quarter-Final Action

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

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the first period, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

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

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

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr provided the goals for the Czech team.

Relegation Match Outcome

Germany triumphed in the relegation game, defeating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to help Germany keep its place for the following season in the top division. Denmark dropped to the second tier.