Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. --- #7 Minnesota State junior forward #Brett Knowles# got his first career hat trick in leading the Mavericks to a 7-0 win at Lake Superior State in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association contest played in Sault Ste. Marie Saturday. 

Knowles, a junior who battled injuries last season and was playing in only his fourth game of the year in tonight's game, deflected Sean Flanagan's shot from the left point past Gordon Defiel at 5:43 of the first period to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead.

A productive middle period in which the Mavericks struck for four unanswered goals broke the game open. Senior forward Chase Grant finished a play started by Sean Flanagan when he snapped a shot past Defiel at 4:55 in making it 2-0. Knowles tapped in a rebound off of Max Gaede's shot for his second of the game at 6:42 and it became a 4-0 lead at 13:12 when Grant got his second of the game. Then at 16:03, junior forward Teddy Blueger wired a shot past Defiel after stepping past the blueline and the Mavericks held a 5-0 advantage after two periods of play.

A pair of third-period tallies closed out the scoring for Minnesota State. Sophomore defenseman Casey Nelson's shot from the top of the slot found the back of the net at 11:25 and at 15:03 Knowles scored for the third time in the game when he beat Defiel on breakaway chance with the Mavericks on the power play. The hat trick by Knowles is the first of his career.

Sean Flanagan had three assists in the win, while Grant finished with a three-point night on two goals and an assist. Nelson had two points (goal and assist), Max Gaede and Jean-Paul Lafontaine had two assists each.
Minnesota State owned a 36-24 advantage in shots on goal.

Minnesota State junior netminder Stephon Williams, who finished with 24 saves, improved his record to 10-1-0 in 2014-15. The shut-out is his first of the year and the sixth of his career.

Minnesota State has now won five games in a row and eight of its last nine.
 
The Mavericks are 10-3-0 for the season (8-1-0 in WCHA games) close out the two-game WCHA set with the Lakers Saturday with a 7:07 p.m. EST face-off scheduled.

Head coach Mike Hastings commented following the win.