Boston College built to test No. 1 Gophers men's hockey

Tonight's matchup might be more satisfying than the smell of mini donuts that welcomes me each night at Mariucci Arena.

No. 5 Boston College is coming off a 9-2 statement win against previously No. 2-ranked Wisconsin, and the No. 1 Gophers will attempt to solidify their newfound top spot in the rankings.

Boston College and its junior forward Johnny Gaudreau will be a big test for the Gophers. Gaudreau currently leads the country in points per game (2.33) and is coming off back-to-back three-point performances.

Gaudreau wasn't with the Eagles for their 8-1 loss to the Gophers in last year's Mariucci Classic championship. He was playing with the national team. Expect him to play a big role in tonight's game.

The Gophers have their own hot hand in Sam Warning, who is tied for the NCAA scoring lead. Warning played off the idea of going head-to-head against Gaudreau, but it'll be fun to see how they feed off one another.

(Check out the below tweet and graphic Boston College created to ramp up the Gaudreau-Warning matchup)

For more on this series (TV/radio) check out my full preview and a feature on the Gophers first line of forwards.

Forwards (left wing, center, right wing)
Sam Warning, Kyle Rau, Hudson Fasching
Nate Condon, Justin Kloos, Taylor Cammarata
Connor Reilly, Travis Boyd, Vinni Lettieri
Tom Serratore, A.J. Michaelson, Seth Ambroz

Defensemen (left, right)
Brady Skjei, Justin Holl
Mike Reilly, Jake Parenteau
Ben Marshall, Michael Brodzinski

Goaltenders
Adam Wilcox
Michael Shibrowski
Ryan Coyne

• The Big Ten is depending on the Gophers to make up points in the inaugural Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge. After one weekend of the challenge, Hockey East has a 9-4 advantage in points.

Boston-area programs collected eight points for Hockey East with wins against No. 2 Wisconsin and Michigan State. Michigan was the only Big Ten team to collect points (four) in the first week.

A win is good for two points, a tie for one point, and a bonus point is awarded for a road win. Six of the final seven games will be played in Big Ten venues.

Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge schedule and results

Friday, October 18 (Points)
No. 6 Boston College 9, No. 2 Wisconsin 2, HEA-2
Massachusetts 3, Michigan State 1, HEA-2
No. 5 Michigan 1, No. 13 New Hampshire 1 (OT), Big Ten-1/HEA-1

Saturday, October 19
Boston University 7, No. 2 Wisconsin 3, HEA-2
Massachusetts 5, Michigan State 2. HEA-2
No. 5 Michigan 3, No. 13 New Hampshire 2 (OT), Big Ten-3

Friday, October 25 Time Television (Checking your local provider)
No. 14 Boston University at No. 4 Michigan, 7 p.m., XFINITY Channel 900
UMass Lowell at Michigan State, 6 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit
No. 5 Boston College at No. 1 Gophers, 7 p.m., Big Ten Network

Sunday, October 27
No. 5 Boston College at No. 1 Gophers, 1 p.m., Fox Sports North/STO/Fox College Sports-Central