🔗 Share this article

Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"Got to give full credit to the US," remarked Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a hell of a team, loaded with exceptional individuals and a well coached team. But I mentioned we wanted that payback from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will play Czechia. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker knotted the score for the United States with 1:33 remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third to give their team a two to one lead. He tied it at 2 with 7:17 left, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Reactions

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson had a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the head versus the Swiss and missing two games.

"I thought we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their high-quality opportunities resulted from our mistakes."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one edge on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right side.

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

Between the Pipes Summary

• Rimpinen stopped 28 shots.
• Kempf made 21 saves.

The U.S. squad lost their last two games – falling six to three to Sweden on Wednesday night in the group finale – after winning their initial three matches.

"It was an honor to lead this group," said the team's coach. "Our guys played a terrific game today and came up just short. All credit to the Finns. It's an empty feeling at the moment, but our guys gave it all they had."

Other Playoff Results

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 B. Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin scored in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we are," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing advantage, it kind of saps their morale."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman L. Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to aid the Swedish side remain undefeated in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, P. Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czech team.

Consolation Game Result

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