WORLD JUNIORS: Maatta helps send Finland to the semifinal

EDMONTON, AB - Oilers prospect Joel Maatta notched a goal and an assist against Germany on Wednesday to help Finland advance to the World Junior Hockey Championship semifinal.
The 2022 seventh-round pick (222nd overall) bookended the offence for Finland in their 5-2 victory, starting off a nice sequence of tic-tac-toe passing between Roby Jarventie and Kasper Simontaival for the game's first goal before putting the contest to bed with his third tuck of the tournament with 4:07 left in regulation.
Maatta's late tally was also his third powerplay goal of the World Juniors. The Finnish centre accepted a feed down low from Jarventie which he quickly transitioned from his backhand to his forehand and shelved the shot past German goaltender Florian Bugl. Maatta has been a steady fixture of the Finns special teams throughout the tournament, playing on the second unit powerplay and top line penalty kill.
In all, Maatta played 16:41 for Finland on the afternoon, picking a goal and an assist with a plus-1 rating.

In knocking out the Germans, Maatta also knocked out University of Vermont teammate and fellow Oilers prospect Luca Munzenberger.
The German captain was a physical force throughout the game, levelling a couple punishing checks and finishing second among German skaters in ice time with 22:55 played. Munzenberger showed he wasn't going to take things easy on his college teammate, flattening Maatta at the Finnish blueline while the forward tried to exit the zone.
Munzenberger's take-no-prisoners style got him in a little trouble early in the game, with the defender getting a little overzealous and toppling Maatta inside the game's first 10 minutes. The ensuing tripping call led to Finland's second goal of the contest and one of four powerplay markers by the Scanadavian club on the morning.

Munzenberger finishes the tournament with a goal and assist in four tournamment games, having picked up the secondary dish on Germany's second period goal by Bennet Rossmy. The 2021 third-round pick will return to the University of Vermont to play his second season under Oilers Head Coach Jay Woodcroft's brother Todd.
Munzenberger's college roomate won't be joining him quite yet, as Maatta and Team Finland will be back in action on Friday, taking on whoever comes out on top in the Sweden vs. Latvia quarter-final game.