Impressive goaltending helps Gophers avoid blowout against Boston College

Minnesota couldn't find much offense on Thursday night.

Gophers defensemen Leo Gruba (55) early in the first period of Thursday night's game against Boston College. | Photo credit: Kelly Lynn

A 3-1 final score doesn't tell the full story in Minnesota's second loss of the season on Thursday night against No. 11-ranked Boston College at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

The Gophers received positive injury news with the return of veteran defenseman Leo Gruba, who missed last Friday's loss to Michigan Tech, but their defense struggled in the first period against Boston College. An early goal from Will Vote gave the Eagles an early 1-0 lead.

Brody Lamb responded less than five minutes later with his third goal of the season. Minnesota left the first period tied 1-1, despite getting outshot 11-5.

We are on the board! 🚨

📺: BTN pic.twitter.com/VXESeIvmoO

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) October 10, 2025

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Minnesota faced a lot of the same issues in the second period, and Boston College added 16 more shots on goal. Will Moore found the back of the net with 3:19 before the break, and the Eagles extended their lead to 2-1.

Minnesota had moments in the final period, but Boston College continued to control the pace, and the Gophers weren't able to generate much offense. The Eagles added one more empty net goal with 24 seconds left to make the final score 3-1.

Junior goaltender Nathan Airey had a great night, saving 93.9% of the shots he faced. Things could've looked much different on the scoreboard, as Boston College led 34-19 in total shots.

On a night where the Big Ten's top two teams, No. 2 Michigan State and No. 4 Penn State, along with No. 1 Western Michigan, all lost to unranked teams at home, a Gophers loss to No. 11 Boston College might not seem that bad.

The Gophers will get another chance against Boston College on Friday night at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on BTN+ and FOX9+, as they look to avoid a series sweep.