Gophers rip open game in third period, beat Boston U 6-2 to advance to men's Frozen Four title game

TAMPA, FLA. — Luke Mittelstadt's office on Thursday was the left circle of the Gophers' attack zone. And because the freshman defenseman did such a good job from his workspace, Minnesota will be playing for the NCAA men's hockey championship game on Saturday night.

Mittelstadt broke a tie and provided separation early in the third period with a pair of goals 1 minute, 49 seconds apart as the Gophers defeated a game Boston University squad 6-2 at Amalie Arena. His first goal, a power-play marker 1:40 in, gave Minnesota the lead, and his second, coming from nearly the same place on the ice, made it a two-goal game at 3:29.

"Our guys stuck with it,'' Gophers coach Bob Motzko said. "… Luke Mittelstadt is a heck of a player. We got our chances, and we finished.''

The top-ranked Gophers will meet Quinnipiac, a 5-2 winner over Michigan in Thursday's late semifinal, at 7 p.m. Saturday. Minnesota will try to win its sixth NCAA title and first since completing a back-to-back set in 2002 and 2003.

Logan Cooley scored two empty-net goals, Mike Koster had a goal and an assist, and Rhett Pitlick also scored for the Gophers (29-9-1). Minnesota also had a goal by Cooley wiped out on video review and two other close calls ruled no goals after second looks by the officials. Aaron Huglen had two assists, including one that had the loud pro-Minnesota sellout crowd of 19,119 gasping in disbelief in the first period. Goalie Justen Close made 29 saves.

Sam Stevens and Jay O'Brien scored for Boston University (29-11-0), whose nine-game winning streak ended. Goalie Drew Commesso made 28 saves.

"We just kept firing the puck, and good things happened,'' said Mittelstadt, who also had an assist.

The Gophers were dialed-in at the start, but it was the Terriers who took a 1-0 lead at 10:38 of the first period when Stevens tipped a rebound of Domenick Fensore's shot past Close.

Minnesota answered with the first of its three power-play goals, this one from Koster from Mittelstadt's office at 15:09.

"We felt that was something we could do, chuck some pucks from the side there,'' Motzko said.

The Gophers went back on the power play at 15:51 and took a 2-1 lead eight seconds into the advantage. Pitlick scored after taking a jaw-dropping, backhanded, between-his-legs, between-Terriers-defenseman-Cade-Webber's-legs, cross-crease pass from Huglen.

"Rhett sent me a [video of a] Sidney Crosby-kind of play similar to that this afternoon,'' Huglen said. "I said, 'Yeah, we'll either try that or else break to the net.' And he broke to the net, and I found him.''

Boston University made a push in the second and tied it 2-2 at 8:06 on O'Brien's goal. With Gophers defenseman Ryan Johnson off for slashing, Fensore wired a shot that O'Brien tipped past Close.

Webber took a charging penalty after time expired in the second, and the Gophers started the third with one minute of a five-on-three advantage. The Terriers killed the five-on-three portion, but Mittelstadt gave the Gophers a 3-2 lead at 1:40 with his power-play blast from the left circle.

Mittelstadt struck again from the top of the left circle, sniping a shot past Commesso for a 4-2 lead at 3:29.

"He really can pick one from that side,'' Koster said of Mittelstadt.

From there, the Gophers locked down the game. The Terriers pulled Commesso for an extra attacker with 3:02 to play, and Cooley scored into empty nets with 2:41 and 1:43 left.

Saturday, the Gophers will try to complete their goal of winning the national championship.

"It's pretty sweet and tough to put into words,'' Knies said. "We're all really excited, but we've got to keep our emotions still here and focus on the next game.''