🔗 Share this article

Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable four to three victory over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"We must give full credit to the US," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, full of great players and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semi-finals Sunday, the Finns will face Sweden, while Canada will play the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated the Latvian side 6-3, Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 rout over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs overcame Switzerland by a six to two score.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a 55-second span in the third period to give their team a two to one lead. Tuuva leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 left, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. J. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson had a goal and an assist for the United States after being struck in the back of the head against Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we made good plays for a lot of the game," Hutson said. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities resulted from our mistakes."

His university colleague C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right circle.

Hutson scored on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Summary

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

The U.S. squad fell in their last two games – falling six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after starting with their first three.

"It has been an privilege to lead this group," said the team's coach. "Our guys played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give Finland. It's an empty emotion right now, but our players gave it all they had."

Additional Playoff Results

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

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. Jack Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how powerful we are," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a 5-0 advantage, it kind of saps their confidence."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to help the Swedish side stay perfect in five games.

In Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Relegation Game Outcome

The German team triumphed in the consolation match, beating Denmark 8-4. M. Schams scored twice to ensure his nation keep its place next year in the top division. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.