The Finnish Team Upsets Two-Time Defending Champions the United States in U20 World Championship Quarterfinal Round.

Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of overtime as Finland engineered a remarkable 4-3 victory over the reigning two-time champion United States on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.

"We must give full credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, loaded with exceptional individuals and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we wanted that payback from the previous final, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."

In the semi-finals Sunday, Finland will take on the Swedish team, while Canada will meet the Czech Republic. The Swedes defeated Latvia six to three, Team Canada produced a first-period five-goal outburst in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs topped Switzerland by a six to two margin.

Dramatic Third Period and Overtime

The Michigan State Spartan Lee Ryker knotted the score for the United States with one minute and thirty-three seconds remaining in the third period and the University of Notre Dame goalie Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst in the third period to give Finland a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva tied it at 2 with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then set up his teammate's go-ahead goal with 6:22 on the clock. Saarelainen also earned a helper on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Post-Game Comments

The Boston University blueliner C. Hutson recorded a goal and an assist for the United States after taking a shot in the back of the head versus Switzerland and sitting out two games.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," Hutson commented. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities resulted from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the U.S. a two to one lead on a man advantage with 9:45 remaining in the middle frame. He took a feed from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a quick shot from the right circle.

Hutson scored on a rush 35 seconds into the second. H. Ruohonen tied it at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a snap shot from the left wing.

Goaltending Summary

• Rimpinen saved 28 shots.
• Kempf made twenty-one stops.

The U.S. squad fell in their final two games – losing six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after starting with their first three.

"It has been an honor to lead this group," said the American bench boss. "They played a great game today and fell just a bit short. Give the Finns. It's an empty emotion right now, but our players gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Action

In the late game in the host city, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the five-goal first.

C. Reschny, Tij Iginla, Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and P. Martone and Cole Beaudoin scored in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"This demonstrates how powerful we are," Martin remarked. "Taking a five-nothing advantage, it really saps their morale."

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

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

Relegation Game Result

The German team triumphed in the consolation match, beating Denmark 8-4. M. Schams had two goals to help Germany retain its spot for the following season in the top division. Denmark dropped to Division I-A.