Columnists
Swede Shootout Win
‘Not the result we wanted,’ says Finland captain, and Minnesota Wild prospect, Aron Kiviharju.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — No, the United States didn’t make it out of the quarterfinals of the World Junior Championship. But that doesn’t mean the hockey was any less exciting for hockey fans in Sunday’s semifinals.
It started with a complete one-goal game between Sweden and Finland. Offense, great goaltending and a close contest throughout that didn’t get a result until a shootout.
“Two outstanding teams playing there,” said Finland captain Aron Kiviharju. “I am 100% sure that everybody watching this game today, whether you were here or from the television or whatever it was, I think this was one of the craziest hockey games I’ve ever witnessed.”
The afternoon semifinal between Sweden and Finland needed a shootout to decide which team would move on to the gold-medal game on Monday. Sweden’s Anton Frondell scored in the eighth round of the shootout for the 4-3 victory over Finland.
Sweden returns to the gold-medal game for the first time since 2024 when it lost to the United States. They’ll face Czechia, which defeated Canada 6-4 in the second semifinal. Meanwhile, Finland will play for a bronze medal Monday.
Kiviharju recorded an assist in the semifinal loss to Sweden. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)
“It’s unfinished business, that’s it,” Kiviharju said. “We’re going to take care that we get the bronze medal. Just try to figure out a way.”
Kiviharju, a 19-year-old defenseman, is captain of the Finland team, and he’s a fourth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild. The NHL club selected him 122nd overall in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. He was also on the Finland squad that lost the gold-medal game to the United States in the 2025 World Junior Championship; Kiviharju had three assists in seven games in that tournament.
Sunday’s game against Sweden was a rematch of last year’s semifinals, which also went beyond regulation and finished with a 4-3 result. In 2025, Finland prevailed with 38 seconds left in overtime.
This year, Kiviharju spoke after the semifinal loss about what a privilege and honor it is to wear the Finland jersey, represent his country and wear the “C” as the captain.
“That’s the thing you dream of when you’re a kid watching these games,” Kiviharju said. “To get to represent the country you’ve grown up in, the country you love…
“Plus that, wearing a “C” letter on your chest, it’s a huge honor. I try to do everything, every day to make it worth it.”
This year’s semifinal at Grand Casino Arena was filled with exciting hockey and remained a one-goal game until the end. Sweden took a 1-0 lead only 36 seconds into the game when Linus Eriksson’s shot popped off the Finland goaltender Petteri Rimpinen’s glove and into the net.
But later in the period, Finland tied the game on a long shot by Atte Joki. Kiviharju assisted on the play.
Sweden regained the lead early in the second period, just 1 minute, 20 seconds in, on a delayed Finland penalty when a shot from the slot made it through traffic. Don’t blink, because Finland responded only 50 seconds later with a favorable-bounce goal when a puck came down from high in the air, settling behind Sweden’s goaltender Love Harenstam and ending up in the net.
Sweden grabbed its third one-goal lead by the second intermission later in the period when Eddie Genborg scored. This one came on a play with a favorable bounce for Sweden. But Finland tied the game 3-3 with about six minutes left in regulation when Joona Saarelainen pounced on a rebound in front and settled the bouncing puck into the net.
Kiviharju gets tangled with a Sweden player in Sunday’s semifinal game at Grand Casino Arena. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)
Finland forced overtime, which almost seemed fitting for such an exciting game. The format is three-on-three for 10 minutes, followed by a five-round, and then sudden-death, shootout.
Sweden looked like the more aggressive team in the overtime period. Viggo Bjorck alone had four grade-A scoring chances, usually on breakaways. But he was also called for a slashing minor penalty with 2:03 left in overtime. The four-on-three power play for Finland took over in the offensive zone for nearly the entire man advantage. But they put on a passing clinic rather than attempt to pepper the net with shots.
The two notable chances for Finland both came from Kiviharju. With 1:18 left, his shot found the glove of Harenstam. Then with 35.2 remaining in the overtime, Kiviharju clinked a shot off the crossbar, looking toward the rafters knowing what might have been.
Finland had its opportunity to end the game, but instead it went to a shootout. One player from each team scored in the five rounds. Then after two unsuccessful rounds, Frondell scored the winning goal for Sweden.
“Not the result we wanted, not the ending we wanted, but at the end of the day, it was, it was a hell of a hockey game,” Kiviharju said. “You got to give credit to Sweden. They did their job really well. Obviously they, I think, deserved to win.
“At the end of the day, you get a respected team that comes out with the win and they figure out a way to do it tonight.”
