NCAA Frozen Four: The Top Plays from Thursday's Second Semifinal Game

The University of Minnesota’s only true highlight Thursday night was when its representative spectator won an on-ice contest during the second intermission. Other than that, Boston College brought about a great Gopher massacre that ought to be the envy of Carl Spackler en route to a 6-1 victory in the Frozen Four semifinals.

With 13:57 left in the opening frame, Steven Whitney sent a lateral pass to Barry Almeida on the left side, continued to cut down the center lane to the net and stuffed it with Almeida’s return feed for a 1-0 BC advantage.

For his last of 10 first-period saves, Eagles goaltender Parker Milner did what counterpart Kent Patterson could not do in time to foil Whitney. He made the quick, alert, rod-hockey goalie slide in accordance with Nick Bjugstad’s cross-ice feed to Taylor Matson. Milner shifted to his left and sprawled on his stomach in time to smother Matson’s low-riding, one-time bid and summoned a whistle with 49 seconds left.

Eagles captain and Boston Bruins prospect Tommy Cross blocked two consecutive shots, by Sam Warning and Jake Hansen, for the last two recorded plays of the opening frame.

After killing each of the game's first two penalties, BC required but eight seconds to convert its first power play and augment its lead to 2-0. With 6:35 gone in the second period, Whitney was patrolling the right point, where he sent a diagonal feed to Kevin Hayes, who roofed it from close range over Patterson’s right shoulder.

Hansen had a chance to cut into the deficit when he was left alone on the porch of Milner’s cage with 2:33 left, but Milner prevented him from raking home Erik Haula’s feed from the near wall.

Upon breaking the puck out off the next draw, BC freshman Destry Straight initiated a two-on-one with top Eagles gun and top New York Rangers prospect Chris Kreider, who deposited his understudy’s pass to the right of Patterson.

It took less than two more minutes and only one more shot on net for the Eagles to put another one in the net. With 16.8 seconds left until intermission, budding Calgary Flame Johnny Gaudreau was shadowed by Haula as he toured the puck into the depths of the attacking zone.

Ultimately falling to the ice under Haula’s weight along the goal line, Gaudreau nonetheless lured Patterson out of position and set up Paul Carey for another gaping-net conversion and a 4-0 advantage.

Minnesota got on the board with 18:34 left in the third, when Warning dished a feed to Haula on his right and Haula set up Hansen for a swift, upfront tap-in. The goal was reviewed and ultimately ruled legal upon determination that Hansen had inadvertently directed the puck in with his skate.

The Eagles all but casually answered back to restore their four-goal advantage within another 15 seconds. Paul Carey parked himself in the high slot and slugged home a one-timer off a Gaudreau feed from behind the net.

With 14:09 remaining, Brian Dumoulin’s bad-angle point shot deflected off the stick of Minnesota’s Justin Holl and past Patterson’s trapper for a 6-1 lead.

Minnesota defenseman Seth Helgeson’s meticulous backchecking thwarted Almeida from getting a shot off during a partial breakaway amidst a four-on-four segment with less than five minutes remaining. If nothing else, it averted any addition to the Gophers’ wound.