Finland's Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at 2:11 of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning 4-3 win over the two-time defending champion United States on Friday evening in the IIHF World Junior Championship last eight.
"Got to give full credit to the United States," stated Finland's leader Aron Kiviharju. "That's a hell of a team, loaded with great individuals and a superbly organized team. But I said we were seeking that payback from last year, and I think we truly deserved it this evening."
In the semifinal matches Sunday, the Finns will take on Sweden, while the Canadians will meet Czechia. Sweden beat the Latvian side six to three, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a seven to one romp over Slovakia, and Czechia topped the Swiss by a six to two margin.
Thrilling Final Frame and Extra Session
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 netminder Nick Kempf pulled for an additional skater.
Lee Tuuva and J. Saarelainen scored in a fifty-five-second burst in the third period to hand their team a 2-1 advantage. Tuuva tied it at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go, then set up Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal with 6:22 remaining. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.
Notable Performances and Post-Game Comments
The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson recorded a goal and a helper for the Americans after being struck in the back of the head versus the Swiss and missing two games.
"In my opinion we executed well for most of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, many of their Grade-A opportunities resulted from our errors."
His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the United States a 2-1 edge on a power play with 9:45 remaining in the second period. He accepted a pass from Hutson and fooled Petteri Rimpinen with a one-timer from the right side.
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 wing.
Between the Pipes Summary
- Finland's goalie stopped twenty-eight attempts.
- The American netminder made twenty-one stops.
The Americans fell in their final two games – falling six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after winning their initial three matches.
"It was an privilege to lead this group," said the American bench boss. "They played a great game today and fell just a bit short. All credit to the Finns. It's an hollow feeling right now, but our players gave it all they had."
Other Quarter-Final Results
In the second match in Minneapolis, the Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.
C. Reschny, T. Iginla, Michael Misa, S. O'Reilly and B. Martin tallied in the first period, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the following period. Jack Ivankovic turned aside 21 saves.
"This demonstrates how powerful we can be," Martin remarked. "Going up 5-0 advantage, it really saps their confidence."
In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell scored twice for Sweden against Latvia. The defender L. Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to help the Swedes remain perfect in their five outings.
In Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czech team.
Relegation Game Outcome
Germany won the consolation match, beating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany retain its place next year in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.
