SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Senior Brandon Buhr recorded his third career hat trick, and sophomore Cameron Korpi posted his third shutout of the season as the Union College men's hockey team thumped University of New Hampshire 6-0 on Saturday night at M&T Bank Center.

All three of Buhr's goals came in the second period as Union (8-2-1, 2-2-0 ECAC Hockey) flexed its muscle all night long over New Hampshire (5-6-0, 2-3-0 Hockey East). Buhr scored twice on the power play, then finished off his natural hat trick on a penalty shot, beating New Hampshire's goaltender Jared Whale with a deke to the glove side. 

Whale entered the game for former Union goaltender Kyle Chauvette after Buhr's second goal at the 7:42 mark of the second period. Up to that point, Chauvette had allowed a pair of goals to both sophomore Ben Muthersbaugh and Buhr. 

Muthersbaugh scored twice to open the game, blasting a power-play goal and an even-strength score from his home base atop the left circle. His first score 5:58 into play was his first goal on the man-advantage all season. He scored five power-play goals as a first-year a season ago. 

Junior Tyler Dunbar and senior Nate Hanley assisted on Muthersbaugh's first goal, then senior Cal Mell and sophomore Drew Sutton set up Muthersbaugh for goal No. 2. Hanley has registered at least one point in three straight games, and Mell has an assist in three of his last four contests. Mell has now had three separate stretches throughout his career with three points in a four-game span.

With Union leading 2-0 after Muthersbaugh's big first period, New Hampshire had a chance to start flipping the script early in the second. The Wildcats came up with a breakaway at the 3:44 mark but failed to hit the mark during the odd-man rush. Senior Parker Lindauer and sophomore Drew Sutton capitalized on the Wildcats' whiff, setting up Buhr for his first of the game. 

After Buhr scored three times in a stretch of 13:04 to make it 5-0 Union after two periods, the game increased in physicality. The two teams were called for nine penalties in the final period, including a pair of game misconducts for first-year Etienne Lessard and New Hampshire's Cam MacDonald. However, during the subsequent power play for the Wildcats, Union added onto its lead thanks to a short-handed goal from Lindauer, assisted by Dunbar.

Lindauer posted his second three-point performance thanks to his second career short-handed goal. The Madison, Wisc. native has eight points in his last three games, one shy of the team lead during that stretch, paced by Buhr. Union's leading scorer, Buhr, has scored three points in three straight games, and with three goals on Saturday night, he became the first ECAC Hockey player to reach double-digit goals this season with 10.

Korpi made 24 saves on his way to his third shutout of the year, improving his goals-against-average to 1.60. His save percentage is also a season-high .927. The South Lyon, Mich. native became the first Union goalie since none other than Chauvette to record three shutouts in a season. Korpi's have all come within a month of each other, while Chauvette did not record his third shutout of the 2023-24 season until February. 

The defense in front of Korpi also did its part, blocking eight shots and silencing the Wildcats over seven chances on the power play. The resilient defensive effort and offensive prowess powered Union to it's best start of a season since also beginning the 2016-17 campaign 8-2-1.

The Garnet Chargers hit the road next weekend, beginning with a trip to Ithaca as they take on Cornell at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21.