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Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three win over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the United States," remarked Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, full of great individuals and a well coached team. But I said we were seeking that payback from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will face the Swedish team, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs topped the Swiss by a 6-2 margin.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 left in the third period and the Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a 55-second span in the third period to hand their team a two to one lead. He tied it at two-all with 7:17 to go, then assisted on his teammate's game-leading goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Key Performances and Reactions

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson recorded 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.

"In my opinion 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 errors."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a 2-1 edge on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the second period. He took a feed from his teammate and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

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

Goaltending Summary

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

The U.S. squad fell in their last two games – losing six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after winning their initial three matches.

"It has been an privilege to coach this team," said the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our players left everything on the ice."

Additional Playoff Results

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

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing advantage, it really saps their confidence."

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

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr provided the goals for the Czech team.

Consolation Game Result

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to ensure his nation keep its place next year in the main event. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.