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Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three win over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.

"We must give credit to the US," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with great individuals and a well coached team. But I mentioned we were seeking that revenge from last year, and I think we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semi-finals on Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while Canada will meet Czechia. Sweden beat Latvia 6-3, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second span in the third to give their team a two to one advantage. He leveled the score at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. Saarelainen also earned a helper on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Reactions

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the United States after being struck in the head against Switzerland and missing two games.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, many of their high-quality chances resulted from our errors."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman handed the United States a two to one lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds left in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right circle.

C. Hutson scored on a rush 35 seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen tied it at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Stats

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

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – losing 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after starting with their first three.

"It was an honor to lead this group," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Other Playoff Results

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

Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," B. Martin said. "Going up 5-0 advantage, it really kills their confidence."

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

In Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, J. Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Consolation Match Result

The German team won the relegation game, beating the Danes 8-4. Manuel Schams scored twice to help Germany retain its place for the following season in the main event. The Danish side was relegated to the second tier.