Canada was within 46.4 seconds of advancing to the semifinals of the 2019 World Junior Championship.

Instead, the host nation finds itself eliminated from the tournament as an unlikely sequence of events led to Finland claiming a 2-1 overtime victory over the Canadians on Wednesday in Vancouver.

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After Canada had taken the lead early in the second period through Ian Mitchell, it seemed as if there was nothing the Finns could do to equalize. Canadian goaltender Michael DiPietro was sensational in net, stopping everything that came his way for over 59 minutes as the Finnish team outshot its opponent but couldn't capitalize.

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Then, with less than a minute remaining and a desperate Finland squad pushing forward, an innocuous-looking centering attempt by Eeli Tolvanen led to an improbable game-tying goal as the puck deflected off the net and back to Tolvanen before bouncing off Aleksi Heponiemi's skate and under DiPietro's arm. The goal quieted a raucous crowd at Rogers Arena, and set the tone for the overtime period to come.

The 4-on-4 extra frame started off with the same frantic pace that was on display during much of regulation time, and just over a minute in Canada found itself with two great chances to end the game. First, Evan Bouchard charged in alone from the right wing and nearly sent the crowd into a frenzy when his breakaway attempt, but he was tugged from behind while attempting to shoot which led to a penalty shot.

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With the game on the line, captain Max Comtois stepped up for the penalty shot but was easily stopped by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as he tried to slide the puck under the Finnish goalie's outstretched right leg.

Despite the setback, the Canadians kept pushing and made it to the verge of scoring through Noah Dobson with less than five minutes remaining. Dobson lined up what appeared to be a surefire one-timed goal but his stick broke on the shot attempt, allowing the Finns to break on the counterattack. A few seconds later the puck was in the back of the Canadian net after Toni Utunen's wrist shot deflected off Cody Glass' stick and past DiPietro.

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The result sees Canada exit the tournament without a shot at a medal for the first time in 13 World Junior Championships on Canadian soil.Sporting News provided live updates and highlights from Wednesday's contest below.