Arttu Valola secured a thrilling victory for Finland with a goal in overtime, defeating the United States 4-3 in the world junior hockey quarterfinals held in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Finnish team avenged their previous year’s loss to the Americans in the final.
Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju praised the U.S. team’s talent and coaching but expressed satisfaction in claiming revenge from the previous year. In the upcoming semifinals, Finland will face Sweden, while Canada will take on the Czech Republic. Sweden triumphed over Latvia 6-3, Canada dominated Slovakia with a 7-1 victory, and the Czech Republic defeated Switzerland 6-2.
The United States, represented by Michigan State’s Lee Ryker, managed to equalize the score with 1:33 remaining in regulation time. Lee Tuuva and Joona Saarelainen scored crucial goals in the third period, propelling Finland to a 2-1 lead. Tuuva later tied the game at 2-2 before setting up Saarelainen’s go-ahead goal. Defenseman Cole Hutson of Boston University contributed a goal and an assist for the U.S. team.
Despite a valiant effort, the United States suffered back-to-back defeats, including a loss to Sweden in the group stage. Coach Bob Motzko commended his team’s performance and acknowledged Finland’s strong showing. In other quarterfinal matches, Sweden defeated Latvia, and the Czech Republic emerged victorious against Switzerland.
In a separate event, Germany secured an 8-4 win over Denmark in the relegation game in Minneapolis. Germany’s Manuel Schams scored twice to secure their place in the main event for the following year, while Denmark was relegated to Division I-A.