"To show character and perseverance when everything around you was blowing up was huge," said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. "Considering those circumstances, I'm happy to get a tie."

Hudson is the 10th player in the program's Division I history to record a hat trick and the first defenseman to accomplish the feat. All three of his scores came on the power-play, becoming the first player in the school's Division I history to score three extra-man goals in a game. With his three scores, Hudson also set the school's record for most points in a single-season by a blueliner with 26.

"It felt good to get the hat trick and help my team earn the point," Hudson said. "I just shot the puck and got a little lucky tonight. It would have been better to get the two points considering how tight the upper half of the conference is but to rally for the point is nice."

Juniors Matt Zuke and Scott Jenks also added goals for the Griffs.

Senior Andrew Loewen anchored the Griffs' rally in net, recording 35 saves while yielding just one goal.

Two goals in the opening 34 seconds were a sign of things to come in the first period as seven total goals were scored. Zuke opened the scoring with his fifth tally of the season just 20 second into the contest. The junior scored off a rebound from sophomore Dave Kostuch to give the Griffs the early advantage. Freshman Torrey Lindsay also registered an assist on the goal.

Sacred Heart, however, would answer right back, scoring just 14 seconds later to knot the contest at one. The puck deflected off Dave Jarman's skate and into the back of the net for the 1-1 tie.

The Pioneers would then take advantage of two power-play chances to grab a 3-1 lead. Nick Johnson netted his first goal of the night at the 7:34 mark, scoring off a rebound off the boards. Paul Ferraro then one-timed a shot into the net just 36 seconds later for the two-goal advantage.

Canisius answered back with a power-play goal of its own when Hudson scored his eighth goal of the season. The senior sent a wrist shot in through a couple of screens to pull Canisius within one, 3-2. Junior Vincent Scarsella and senior Josh Heidinger both posted an assist on the extra-man score.

Sacred Heart would reclaim its two-goal lead when Jarman back-handed a shot in at the 12:40 mark. Jenks, however, would once again pull the Griffs within one with 4:41 left in the first frame. Jenks fired a shot toward goal and the puck was deflected into the back of the net. Kostuch and Lindsay both registered their second assist of the night as the teams headed into intermission with Sacred Heart leading, 4-3.

The Pioneers struck first in the second stanza, netting a goal on a 4-on-4 situation when Eric Delong recovered his own rebound and scored on a wrap-around for his eighth goal of the season 6:46 into the period.

The Griffs would once again quickly answer to pull within one when Hudson scored his second tally of the night on the power play just 51 seconds later. The senior fired a shot from the blue line off a pass from junior Cory Conacher as the teams headed into the second intermission with the Pioneers leading, 5-4. Senior Jason Weeks also registered an assist

Canisius pulled even 7:10 into the third period when Hudson completed his hat trick, scoring his third power-play goal of the night on a two-man advantage. Conacher found the senior defenseman in the slot and Hudson one-timed the puck in to knot the game at five. Heidinger also registered his second assist of the night on the game-tying goal.

Both teams had a number of chances to earn the victory but Sacred Heart had the best opportunities, including two minutes of a power play in the closing three minutes of regulation. Loewen, however, was up to the challenge to preserve the tie.

The Pioneers held a 49-31 advantage in shots. Sacred Heart's Steven Legatto recorded 26 saves, while sophomore Dan Morrison recorded nine saves for Canisius in the start.

The Griffs were 3-for-6 with the extra-man advantage thanks to Hudson, while Sacred Heart went 2-for-9 on the power play.

Canisius returns to action on Feb. 5, beginning a two-game set at Connecticut.

Game Notes: Hudson has scored 27 of his 40 career goals on the power play (67.5 percent) ... Hudson has recorded 10 goals and 16 assists during his senior season ... Zuke's goal was the second-quickest goal to start a game for Canisius ... Rob Martin holds the program's Division I record, scoring 17 seconds in against Holy Cross on Nov. 3, 2001 ... Zuke has tallied five goals in his last eight games after netting one goal in his first 55 career contests ... Sacred Heart is now 7-0-2 in its last nine games ... The Griffs have not won in their last nine games at the Milford Ice Pavilion (0-7-2).