Finland Shocks Two-Time Reigning Champions the United States in U20 World Championship Quarterfinal Round.

Finland's Arttu Välilä netted the winner at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"Got to give full credit to the US," stated Finland's leader A. Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, full of great individuals and a well coached team. But I said we wanted that revenge from the previous final, and I believe we kind of earned it tonight."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat the Latvian side six to three, Canada had a first-period five-goal outburst in a seven to one romp over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a 6-2 score.

Dramatic Final Frame and Extra Session

Michigan State’s L. Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in regulation and the University of Notre Dame netminder N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.

Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst in the third period to give their team a 2-1 lead. He leveled the score at 2 with 7:17 left, then assisted on his teammate's game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. J. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Notable Contributions and Post-Game Comments

The BU defenseman Cole Hutson had a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head against the Swiss and missing the next two contests.

"I thought we executed well for most of the game," Hutson said. "But the small details that they got, many of their high-quality opportunities resulted from our errors."

His BU teammate C. Eiserman handed the United States a two to one edge on a power play with 9:45 left in the middle frame. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right side.

Hutson tallied on a fast break thirty-five seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left wing.

Between the Pipes Stats

• Rimpinen stopped twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf recorded 21 saves.

The Americans fell in their last two games – losing 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday in the final preliminary game – after starting with their first three.

"It has been an honor to coach this team," stated the American bench boss. "Our guys played a great game tonight and fell just a bit short. All credit to Finland. It's an hollow feeling right now, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Additional Quarter-Final Results

In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadians overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin tallied in the first period, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," B. Martin remarked. "Going up 5-0 advantage, it really saps their morale."

In the first quarter-final, A. Frondell netted a pair for Team Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to help the Swedish side remain undefeated in their five outings.

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

Consolation Match Outcome

Germany won the consolation match, beating the Danes 8-4. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany keep its place next year in the main event. Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.