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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give full credit to the US," stated Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I said we wanted that revenge from last year, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will face Sweden, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat Latvia 6-3, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one rout over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second span in the third period to give Finland a two to one lead. Tuuva tied it at two-all with 7:17 to go, then assisted on Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

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

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," Hutson commented. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their Grade-A opportunities resulted from our mistakes."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and beat the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right side.

Hutson scored on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second period. H. Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left side.

Goaltending Stats

• Rimpinen saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder recorded twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad lost their final two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It was an honor to coach this group," said the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an hollow emotion right now, but our players gave it all they had."

Additional Playoff Results

In the late game in the host city, the Canadians overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how powerful we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing lead, it really kills their confidence."

In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two assists to help the Swedish side stay perfect in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Consolation Game Outcome

The German team won the consolation match, beating Denmark 8-4. M. Schams had two goals to ensure his nation retain its place for the following season in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to the second tier.