WORCESTER, Mass. - Junior Benn Ferriero recorded a game-high three points - one goal and two assists - and freshman goalie John Muse made 31 saves to lead No. 2 seed Boston College to a 5-2 NCAA Tournament Northeast Regional semifinal-round victory over No. 3 seed Minnesota before 7,357 fans in the DCU Center.
BC will face Miami, which defeated Air Force 3-2 in overtime, in the NCAA Northeast Regional final on Sunday, March 30, at 4:30 p.m.
The win marked Boston College head coach Jerry York's 800th career victory. York earned 125 wins at Clarkson (1972-79), 342 wins at Bowling Green (1979-1994) and has 333 wins since arriving at the Heights in 1994.
Boston College scored one goal in each of the first two frames and added three scores (one into an empty net) in the third stanza to improve to 8-0 under York in NCAA first-round play.
Ben Smith scored the game's first goal - his 22nd of the season - with a man advantage at 6:33 of the opening period.
After the teams traded second-period goals - Minnesota's Mike Howe tied the score at 3:01 and BC's Ferriero gave the Eagles a 2-1 advantage at 7:58 - BC tallied two goals within the first nine minutes of the third period to build a 4-1 lead.
Senior Pat Gannon increased the BC lead to 3-1 with his sixth goal of the season at 4:25, and freshman Joe Whitney (one goal, one assist) increased the margin to three goals - at 4-1 - with his ninth goal at 8:46.
Minnesota's senior Ben Gordon was credited with cutting the Gophers deficit to two goals at 16:33. Gordon's shot ricocheted off the crossbar and straight down triggering the flashing light from the goal judge, but play continued for 2:42 as referee Brian Aaron initially ruled no goal. Only after BC freshman Brian Gibbons scored into an empty net with 45 seconds remaining was the ruling on the ice overturned by the replay official and the game restarted with 3:27 on the clock and the score altered from 5-1 to 4-2.
BC junior Nathan Gerbe (one goal, one assist) concluded the game's scoring with an empty-net tally at 19:43.
The Gophers outshot the Eagles 33-32. Freshman goalie Alex Kangas registered 27 saves in 57:58.
Muse made 10 saves in the first period, 13 in the second and eight in the third stanza to earn his 22nd win of the season.