BUFFALO, N.Y. – Graduate student forward Ryan Brushett scored a hat trick as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's hockey team delivered a 6-3 win over the Canisius Golden Griffins in non-conference action on Friday afternoon. The win moves the Engineers to a 4-11-1 overall record, while Canisius falls to 5-10-3 overall on the season.
 
Brushett's hat trick is the first for RPI since TJ Walsh collected one last season at the Houston Field House against Army on Oct. 15. The feat is also the first road hat trick since Brock Higgs scored a trio of goals at Dartmouth on Nov. 2, 2013.
 
Canisius struck first just three minutes into the first period, as Grant Porter scored on the power play to give the Golden Griffins a 1-0 lead. Porter tossed one in on assists from Killian Kiecker-Olson and Robert Kincaid. Porter beat RPI goaltender Jack Watson on the blocker side to give Canisius the early advantage.
 
Brushett then scored the first of three – all coming between the first and second periods – to tie the game at 1-1 at the 12:02 mark. Earning assists on the play were Lauri Sertti and John Beaton. Brushett collected the puck after a shot from Beaton, and circled around back to the left wing circle and ripped a shot that found the top-left corner of the net.
 
Just 43 seconds after Brushett's tally, the Golden Griffins responded to re-take the lead as Trey Funk scored before Brushett answered the call once again late in the first period at the 17:30 mark. After a shot from Austin Heidemann was saved, Brushett collected the puck right in front of the net and tossed it inside the right post to re-tie the game at 2-2 after the opening 20 minutes.
 
RPI took their first lead at the 4:02 mark of the second period on Brushett's third goal of the game – a shot from the top of the left wing circle once again that found the upper left corner of the net for the 3-2 lead. Brad McNeil and Beaton both assisted on the play.
 
The Golden Griffins found their final goal of the day late in the second period on the power play, as Jackson Decker poked home a rebound near the crease to brings things back even at 3-3.
 
In the third period, the Engineers scored three unanswered goals to secure the 6-3 win. A goal from Jake Gagnon off a rebound gave RPI the lead for good just 13 seconds into the final frame before Tyler Hotson tallied a pair of goals to finish out the scoring. Dovar Tinling assisted on both goals from Hotson, while Heidemann and Sutter Muzzatti earned helpers on the opening goal from Gagnon.
 
Beaton finished the afternoon with three assists, which came on all three goals from Brushett. RPI goaltender Jack Watson made 34 saves on the afternoon in his return to the lineup, while Canisius goaltender David Fessenden made 19 in the loss.
 
The Engineers return to action tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. when they take on Canisius in the second game of a two-game series in Buffalo.