🔗 Share this article Finland Upsets Two-Time Reigning Champions US in World Junior Quarter-Finals. Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of overtime as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the world junior hockey last eight. "Got to give full credit to the United States," remarked Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I said we wanted that payback from the previous final, and I believe we truly deserved it this evening." In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will meet Czechia. The Swedes defeated the Latvian side 6-3, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one rout over Slovakia, and Czechia topped Switzerland by a 6-2 margin. Thrilling Third Period and Overtime The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater. Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to give their team a two to one advantage. Tuuva tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then set up his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal. Key Performances and Reactions The BU blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the back of the head against Switzerland and sitting out the next two contests. "In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their high-quality chances resulted from our errors." His university colleague Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one lead on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the second period. He took a feed from Hutson and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side. C. Hutson tallied on a fast break 35 seconds into the second. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left side. Between the Pipes Stats Rimpinen stopped twenty-eight attempts. Kempf recorded twenty-one stops. The Americans fell in their last two games – losing 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after starting with their initial three matches. "It has been an privilege to lead this group," said the American bench boss. "Our guys played a terrific game tonight and fell just a bit short. Give Finland. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our players gave it all they had." Additional Quarter-Final Action In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the five-goal first. Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the following period. J. Ivankovic made twenty-one shots. "This demonstrates how powerful we are," B. Martin said. "Taking a 5-0 advantage, it really kills their confidence." In the first quarter-final, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two assists to aid the Swedes remain undefeated in five games. In Minneapolis T. Galvas, Samuel Drancak, A. Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czech team. Relegation Game Result The German team triumphed in the consolation match, beating the Danes 8-4. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany retain its spot for the following season in the main event. The Danish side dropped to the second tier.