🔗 Share this article

Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as Finland engineered a remarkable four to three win over the two-time defending champion United States 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, full of exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will take on the Swedish team, while the Canadians will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated the Latvian side 6-3, Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over Slovakia, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with 1:33 remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst 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 set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson had a goal and an assist for the Americans after taking a shot in the back of the head against Switzerland and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their Grade-A chances resulted from our errors."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave 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 Hutson and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

C. Hutson tallied on a rush 35 seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen tied it at 4:46 on a snap shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Stats

• Rimpinen stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder recorded 21 saves.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – falling 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after winning their first three.

"It has been an privilege to lead this team," said the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give Finland. It's an empty emotion at the moment, but our guys gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the late game in Minneapolis, the Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the following period. J. Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how powerful we are," Martin said. "Going up 5-0 advantage, it really kills their morale."

In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedish side stay perfect in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, A. Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Consolation Match Result

The German team triumphed in the consolation match, defeating Denmark 8-4. Manuel Schams had two goals to ensure Germany retain its place next year in the main event. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.