Gophers' hockey ends losing streak behind Bischoff's goal

BOSTON – Jake Bischoff was carrying little more than a hunch and some hope on the game-turning play.

A comfortable three-goal lead for the Gophers men's hockey team was no longer. Host Boston College scored twice in the early moments of the third period, breathing life back into the cozy Kelley Rink as an improbable comeback suddenly seemed possible.

But midway through the third Friday, Bischoff sprinted up ice and received a pass from Kyle Rau at the left faceoff dot.

He looked up to shoot but saw only one thing: 6-4, 196-pound Eagles netminder Thatcher Demko firmly entrenched at the near post.

"He was already down — he slid over and he was down," Bischoff said of Demko. "There was just a little bit of open room up top, maybe — that's what I thought."

So the sophomore defenseman from Grand Rapids, Minn., snapped a rising wrist shot, one that cleared Demko's right shoulder, rang iron, and neatly fell behind the goal line.

Bischoff's first goal in 31 games stemmed the tide and switched momentum back in favor of the Gophers as No. 3 Minnesota stopped a three-game skid with a 6-2 road win over No. 11/12 Boston College.

Skating with a 1-0 lead late in the second, Minnesota (8-3) capitalized on open shooting lanes as it took a three-goal cushion into the second intermission.

Vinni Lettieri netted his first goal of the season at 17:32 of the middle period. The sophomore picked off a clearing bid before racing through the left wing circle and flicking a wrist shot from the slot that eluded Demko (24 saves).

Minnesota added to its lead 50 seconds later. Taylor Cammarata and Justin Kloos cycled the puck around the net and back to defenseman Ben Marshall atop the left circle. Marshall met the puck with a heavy-handed slap shot that went untouched into the net.

The Eagles (7-6) made things interesting early in the third. Freshman Alex Tuch got the Eagles on the board at 3:33, capitalizing on a Gophers mishap to the right of netminder Adam Wilcox (24 saves) and slipping it inside the far post. Just over 2½ minutes later, BC's Destry Straight jammed the puck between Wilcox and the left post.

Bischoff recaptured the fleeting momentum 3½ minutes later. Lettieri followed with his second goal at 13:07 before Connor Reilly's empty-net goal at 19:24.