Box Score Jeff Brown's natural hat trick powered the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's hockey team to an 8-2 victory over the visiting Waterloo Warriors on Saturday, November 2 at Varsity Arena.

With the win, the Blues improve their record to 5-3-0 on the season, and remain just two points out of first place in the OUA West division.

Brown (Toronto) scored three goals in a game for the first time in his career as a member of the Blues. Michael Markovic (Toronto) also had a three point night, scoring his sixth and seventh goals of the season and adding an assist to cap off a four-goal, five point weekend for the fourth-year centre, who leads the Blues in both goals and points.

U of T also got goals from Andrew Doyle (Richmond Hill), and Winnipeg natives Lane Werbowski and rookie Connor Cleverly, who scored his first career OUA goal.

Despite the lopsided score, third-year netminder Brett Willows had to make 43 saves to pick up his third win of the season.
The Blues opened the scoring midway through the first, when Werbowski's centering pass on the rush bounced off a Warriors defenceman and in. The Warriors bounced back quickly, tying the game just two minutes later on a goal from Luke Lynes.

Toronto would take over the game from that point on, scoring five unanswered goals before Waterloo could respond with one of their own.

Doyle got the run started, putting the Blues back in front with a wrist shot from the slot, set up by Markovic who stripped the puck from a Warriors defender. Brown added to the lead late in the first when he finished off a centering feed from Dylan Heide (Winnipeg), who jumped in from the point.

After a scoreless first 10 minutes of the second period, Brown got his second of the night on a beautiful pass from rookie forward Dean Klomp (St. Marys, Ont.). The two broke in on a 2-on-1 rush, and Klomp faked the shot before sliding it over to Brown, who made no mistake to put the Blues up 4-1.

Then, shortly after the centre ice faceoff following Brown's second goal, the third-year forward streaked up the ice and hollered for a pass from team-captain Blake Boddy (Scarborough). Boddy whipped the puck cross-ice, and Brown hammered it into the top half of the net to complete the natural hat trick.

Markovic added two goals, one on a breakaway and one on a penalty shot, before Cleverly potted his first career goal to finish off the 8-2 victory.

Kain Allicock also scored for the Warriors, who are now 3-3-1 on the season.

The Blues next game is Friday November 8, when they travel to Kingston to take on the Queen's Gaels. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

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