ST. PAUL, Minn. - The No. 8/10 Boston University men's ice hockey team had its season come to an end on Saturday, dropping a 7-3 contest to No. 6 Minnesota in the opening round of the NCAA West Regional at Xcel Energy Center.
Junior Ross Gaudet tied the game at 2-2 at 13:20 of the second period, but Minnesota, which never trailed in the game, scored under two minutes to take a lead it would not relinquish.
The Golden Gophers tacked on another goal late in the second on a major power play to take a 4-2 lead heading into the second intermission.
Sophomore Adam Clendening gave the Terriers exactly what they were looking for - a quick goal to start the 3rd - when his blast from the right point found the back of the net just seven seconds into a power play to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Minnesota (27-13-1), however, dealt a final blow to BU's comeback hopes when Nico Scchetti skated in for an unassisted goal with 11:52 remaining in regulation. Two late empty-netters accounted for the 7-3 final.
The Golden Gophers held a 42-34 shot advantage and got a 31 -save performance from senior Kent Patterson.
Playing in his final game, senior Kieran Millan stopped 35 of Minnesota's shots. He finishes his stellar career with a program-record 81 victories.
Each team recorded two power-play goals in the contest. Minnesota had eight chances with the man advantage while BU had seven.
Senior captain Chris Connolly had his 153-game career come to an end in his native state of Minnesota. His 129 career points (39g, 90a) places him 36th all-time at BU. With a pair of assists against the Gophers, Alex Chiasson finished his junior campaign with a team-best 46 points.
Junior Wade Megan evened the game at 1-1 with his team-leading 20th goal of the season at 7:49 of the second after the Gophers scored the lone goal of the first.
The Terriers, who were making their 32nd NCAA appearance, finish the year with a record of 23-15-1.