Finland Shocks Two-Time Reigning Champions US in U20 World Championship Quarterfinal Round.

Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three victory over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"Got to give credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain 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 payback from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will play Czechia. Sweden defeated the Latvian side six to three, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second span in the third to hand their team a 2-1 lead. He tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then assisted on Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the Americans after being struck in the head against Switzerland and sitting out the next two contests.

"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman said. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their Grade-A opportunities came from our errors."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman handed the U.S. a 2-1 lead on a man advantage with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the middle frame. He took a feed from his teammate and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.

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

Between the Pipes Stats

• Finland's goalie stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder recorded 21 saves.

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

"It has been an privilege to lead this team," stated the team's coach. "They played a terrific game today and fell just a bit short. Give the Finns. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Playoff Action

In the second match in the host city, the Canadians routed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the opening twenty minutes, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the following period. J. Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

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

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to aid the Swedish side remain perfect in their five outings.

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

Consolation Game Outcome

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