Finland is in with a shot of holding both the under-18 and under-20 world titles at the same time after the under-18 ‘Young Lions’ upset the odds to beat the United States 4-2 in the World Championship semi-final in North Dakota.
The Finns went into the game against the host nation as underdogs. Not only did the US have home advantage, they also had a record of outscoring their opponents 38-4 in the competition.
The crucial goals came in the third quarter, both from Aapeli Räsänen. With 4:49 left and the scores tied at 1-1 he scored a shorthanded goal, and then when the US equalised he added the winner in the final minute. Jesse Puljujärvi scored into an empty net just before the buzzer after the Americans pulled their goaltender as their sought an equaliser.
Puljujärvi was also part of this year’s other big hockey success for Finland, winning the under-20 world championships in Helsinki in January.
The final will be screened live on Yle’s TV2 from 3:05am on Monday morning.
