Tuomas Uronen Plays Hero As Finland Upsets USA With Overtime Win At The World Junior Championship

The 2025 World Junior Championship's projected hardest group was expected to be Group A, and we are seeing exactly that with another thrilling game that required extra time to solve.

Canada took care of business in their opening game of the tournament, defeating Finland 4-0, thanks to Carter George and Matthew Schaefer. However, they followed it up with a devastating loss to Latvia in a shootout, a loss that shook the hockey world.

Related: Canada's Tournament Just Went From Bad To Worse; Matthew Schaefer Out For Remainder Of World Junior Championship

Finland rebounded after their loss to Canada with a 3-1 win over Germany, while the powerhouse Americans confidently waltzed their way to a 2-0 start to the tournament.

Finland and USA met each other for a matinee Sunday afternoon game in Ottawa, which ended in thrilling fashion.

Finland led the USA 3-2 heading into the third period. The OHL contingency for the Fins factored in on the team's second and third goals in the second period.

Related: 5 OHL Players Representing Finland At The 2025 World Junior Championship; Reaction, What To Expect

Kingston Frontenacs defenseman Emil Pieniniemi had his point shot on the powerplay tipped by Jesse Kiiskinen for his second point of the tournament.

Then, five minutes later, London Knights forward Kasper Halttunen set up Julius Miettinen in the high slot. The secondary assist went to former OHL import centerman for the Oshawa Generals, Rasmus Kumpulainen.

USA's Brodie Ziemer scored the equalizer early in the third period and this tight Group A contest was headed for overtime.

In the extra frame, Finland's netminder Petteri Rimpinen came up with an incredible backdoor save, and ten seconds later, the Fins were headed up the ice with a 3-on-1, led by Kingston Frontenacs forward Tuomas Uronen.

Uronen has been one of the most productive import forwards in the OHL this season. He showcased his scoring ability by beating the glove of Trey Augustine to secure a dramatic victory for Finland over the USA.

Uronen's 39 points and 16 goals in the OHL are the third-most by an import player. He's got one goal and one assist through three games at the World Junior Championship thus far and gave Finland a massive victory against arguably the best team in the tournament.

Finland takes on Latvia Tuesday afternoon, while the USA takes on Canada for the highly anticipated New Year's Eve nightcap.

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