Minnesota erupts

MINNEAPOLIS -- Top-ranked Minnesota used a first-period offensive explosion as a guide to its fifth win of the season, a 6-1 victory against No. 5 Boston College at Mariucci Arena on Sunday afternoon. Ten different Gophers recorded first-period points to give Minnesota a lead it would not relinquish.

Though each team finished with 32 shots, Minnesota netminder Adam Wilcox made the lead stand by making 31 saves.

After the teams combined for five goals in the first 9:42 of Friday night’s series opener en route to a 3-3 tie, Minnesota continued the first-period scoring trend, netting four goals in an 8:04 span to jump out to an early lead.

Captain Nate Condon got the scoring started 4:14 into the contest after Justin Kloos sped past BC’s Danny Linell to win puck possession. Kloos sent Condon in alone and he slid the puck through Eagle goaltender Brain Billett’s five-hole.

Just 54 seconds later, Seth Ambroz doubled the Gophers’ advantage by burying his own rebound after Christian Isackson found him alone in front of the Boston College cage. Defenseman Mike Reilly then beat Billett high to the glove side from the top of the circle just past the midway point in the period to make it 3-0.

With 3:40 to play in the frame, Brady Skjei snapped a 39-game goalless drought by going bar down from high in the slot. It was his second career goal and first since Oct. 13, 2012.

The Eagles’ lone goal in the game was also the only tally between the teams in the middle stanza. Evan Richardson notched his first collegiate goal at the 6:02 mark to make it 4-1.

In the final period, freshman defensemen Michael Brodzinski and Jake Bischoff tacked on goals to cap the scoring. Bischoff’s goal was the first of his Minnesota career was the fourth by a Minnesota defenseman on the afternoon.

Thirteen Gophers finished with at least one point on the day and Condon, Kloos, Ambroz, and Sam Warning had two each. Condon notched the 50th assist of his career while Warning added two helps to move into a tie for the national scoring lead with 12 points. Warning’s points were the 50th and 51st of his career.

The win kept a 14-game regular-season unbeaten streak against nonconference foes intact. The Gophers’ next series comes against the last out-of-conference team to defeat them in the regular season, No. 2 Notre Dame.