Christian Girhiny scored a hat trick as the Brock Badgers defeated the Rams 5-3 to open the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men's hockey season in Toronto on Wednesday, Nov. 1.

Goaltender Mario Culina made 37 saves to backstop Brock for the win.

Head coach Kevin Forrest said he was impressed with the way his team battled back from an early two-goal deficit.

"I was impressed with the strength of our mental game after trailing 2-0 during the first period where we deserved a better fate. They didn't get down on themselves or get frustrated," Forrest said. "We kept our composure, stayed the course, kept pushing the pace, and good things started to happen for us. Hard work goes a long way in this league, and for the most part, our work ethic was high all night."

The Rams scored 11 seconds apart in the first period before the Badgers replied with a pair of back-to-back goals of their own.

In the second, Girhiny put Brock on the board with his first goal on a pass from Ayden MacDonald, who then tied the game up with a goal of his own. D'Artagnan Joly recorded an assist.

The Rams took their second lead of the game with a power-play goal later in the frame. Girhiny responded with a power-play goal before finding the back of the net for the game-winner in the third and the hat trick.

"We battled back from being down in the first period. The boys worked hard and had no quit in them, and it's good to get the first one under our belt," said captain Jared Marino, who chipped in an empty-net goal. "Girhiny stepped up big for us tonight, and Mario was kicking in the pipes. It was a good team win."

Joly finished the night with two assists, and Cole Thiessen contributed a helper.

"Good start to the season, but it's all about the next one now, which will be our focus tomorrow," Forrest said.

The Badgers (1-0) host the Rams (0-1) for their home opener at Seymour-Hannah Arena on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 5:15 p.m. Tickets can be found here.