Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as Finland pulled off a stunning four to three victory over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the world junior hockey last eight.
"We must give full credit to the United States," stated Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "They are a fantastic squad, loaded with exceptional players and a superbly organized team. But I said we wanted that revenge from the previous final, and I think we kind of earned it this evening."
In the semifinal matches on Sunday, the Finns will face the Swedish team, while the Canadians will meet Czechia. Sweden beat Latvia 6-3, Team Canada had a five-goal first period in a 7-1 romp over the Slovakian team, and the Czechs topped Switzerland by a 6-2 score.
Dramatic Final Frame and Overtime
The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker tied it for the United States with 1:33 remaining in regulation and the Notre Dame goalie N. Kempf off for an extra attacker.
L. Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored in a 55-second span in the third period to give Finland a 2-1 lead. He tied it at 2 with 7:17 left, then set up Saarelainen’s game-leading goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. J. Saarelainen also assisted on the first goal.
Notable Contributions and Reactions
The Boston University blueliner Cole Hutson had a goal and an assist for the Americans after taking a shot in the head against the Swiss and missing the next two contests.
"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," the defenseman said. "But the small details that they got, a lot of their Grade-A chances resulted from our errors."
His BU teammate C. Eiserman handed the United States a two to one lead on a power play with nine minutes and forty-five seconds remaining in the second period. He took a feed from his teammate and beat Petteri Rimpinen with a quick shot from the right circle.
Hutson tallied on a fast break 35 seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at 4:46 on a quick shot from the left side.
Goaltending Summary
- Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
- Kempf made 21 saves.
The Americans fell in their final two games – falling 6-3 to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the final preliminary game – after starting with their initial three matches.
"It was an privilege to coach this group," said the American bench boss. "Our guys played a great game today and came up just short. Give Finland. It's an hollow emotion right now, but our guys left everything on the ice."
Additional Quarter-Final Action
In the late game in the host city, the Canadian team overwhelmed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.
Cole Reschny, Tij Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the first period, and P. Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the second. J. Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.
"Just goes to show how powerful we are," B. Martin said. "Taking a 5-0 advantage, it kind of kills their confidence."
In the opening playoff game, Anton Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius had a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedish side stay undefeated in five games.
Meanwhile, in Minneapolis Tomas Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora, J. Klima and Jakub Fibigr scored for the Czechs.
Relegation Game Result
Germany won the relegation game, defeating Denmark eight to four. M. Schams had two goals to help Germany keep its spot for the following season in the top division. The Danish side was relegated to Division I-A.
