🔗 Share this article

Arttu Välilä netted the winner at 2:11 of overtime as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning four to three victory over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey last eight.

"Got to give credit to the United States," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, loaded with great individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we were seeking that payback from last year, and I believe we truly deserved it tonight."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while Canada will play Czechia. The Swedes defeated Latvia 6-3, Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one romp over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame the Swiss by a six to two score.

Thrilling Third Period and Overtime

Michigan State’s L. Ryker knotted the score for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the University of Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third to give their team a two to one lead. Tuuva leveled the score at two-all with 7:17 left, then set up his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.

Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the head versus the Swiss and missing two games.

"In my opinion we executed well for a lot of the game," Hutson said. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities came from our mistakes."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one edge on a power play with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He took a feed from his teammate and fooled the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

C. Hutson scored on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Finland's goalie saved 28 shots.
• The American netminder made twenty-one stops.

The Americans fell in their final two games – falling 6-3 to Sweden on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It was an privilege to lead this group," said the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game today 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 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 B. Martin tallied in the first period, and Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how powerful we are," B. Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing lead, it kind of saps their morale."

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

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

Relegation Game Outcome

The German team triumphed in the relegation game, beating Denmark eight to four. Manuel Schams had two goals to help his nation keep its spot next year in the top division. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.