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Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad engineered a remarkable four to three victory over the reigning two-time champion American team on Friday evening in the world junior hockey quarter-finals.

"Got to give full credit to the United States," remarked Finnish captain A. Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, loaded with exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that payback from last year, and I believe we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes beat Latvia 6-3, Team Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over the Slovakian team, and Czechia overcame Switzerland by a six to two score.

Thrilling Final Frame and Overtime

Michigan State’s Lee Ryker tied it for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds left in regulation and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen found the net in a fifty-five-second burst in the third to hand their team a 2-1 lead. He leveled the score at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds on the clock. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University defenseman C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after being struck in the head against Switzerland and sitting out the next two contests.

"In my opinion we made good plays for most of the game," the defenseman commented. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A chances resulted from our errors."

His university colleague Cole Eiserman handed the United States a two to one edge on a man advantage with 9:45 remaining in the middle frame. He took a feed from his teammate and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right circle.

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

Goaltending Stats

• Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
• Kempf made twenty-one stops.

The Americans fell in their final two games – falling 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after starting with their initial three matches.

"It was an privilege to lead this group," stated the team's coach. "Our guys played a great game tonight and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an hollow feeling at the moment, but our guys left everything on the ice."

Other Playoff Action

In the second match in the host city, the Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

C. Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin scored in the first period, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the second. Jack Ivankovic made twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how dominant we can be," B. Martin said. "Going up five-nothing lead, it kind of saps their morale."

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

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

Relegation Match Outcome

The German team triumphed in the consolation match, defeating Denmark 8-4. M. Schams scored twice to ensure his nation retain its place for the following season in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.