LACEY, Wash. – Brandon Madsen all but wrapped up the 2017 Great Northwest Athletic Conference scoring title on Thursday afternoon at Saint Martin's University, scoring a hat trick in the opening 24 minutes and leading the host Saints to a wild 5-3 win over Montana State University Billings in the final conference match of the fall.
 
The Saints had what appeared to be an insurmountable 4-0 lead by halftime, but the 'Jackets scored three unanswered goals to start the second and come back to life. The second goal of the day by Kyle Witzel came in the 80th minute however, providing SMU with enough of a cushion to hold on for the win.
 
Madsen entered the day with 12 goals and a two-goal lead over the next two players in the conference – Anthony Dean of Western Washington and Matteo Polisi of Simon Fraser. Despite Madsen's 15-goal campaign, SMU won for just the second time this year and improved its record to 2-13-1 overall and 2-8-1 in league play.
 
The 'Jackets fell to 8-10 overall and wrapped up the conference season at an even 6-6. JD Hauenstein, Realf Zhivanaj, and Niklas Schregel each had a goal for the 'Jackets, who had 13 of their 17 shots in the second half. 

Saints goalkeeper Griffin Small made six saves to help SMU earn the victory, and faced a relentless barrage of shots by the 'Jackets over the final 45 minutes.
 
Like they did a month ago in Billings, Saint Martin's pounced on the Yellowjackets with an early goal in the opening five minutes. SMU capitalized on a defensive breakdown just five minutes into the match, as McKray

Kohn slotted a cross for Madsen to finish from right in front of the net. Less than four minutes later, the sophomore transfer from Seattle University was in the back of the net again with another strong finish from a tight angle inside the box.
 
Completing his hat trick just over midway through the first, Madsen netted an unassisted goal in the 25th minute. Witzel seemingly ended the match with his first goal in the 44th minute, but the Yellowjackets did not give up despite the glaring halftime deficit.
 
Hauenstein notched his sixth goal of the year in the 62nd minute, tucking home a pass from Aidan Raj. The sophomore then turned in an assist on Zhivanaj's finish, which came in the 70th minute and was his third goal of the 2017 campaign.
 
Scoring for the third time in the last four games, Schregel inched MSUB closer to a most improbable comeback, with a strike to the far post on a cross by Victor Sanchez in the 75th minute.
 
Witzel countered just four minutes later however to help SMU re-establish a two-goal edge, and the Saints withstood MSUB's quest to score a fourth goal.
 
THE BUZZ: Hauenstein was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…MSUB is now 17-7-2 overall and 5-5-1 in road games against the Saints…MSUB has won just once in its last five games in Lacey dating back to the 2013 season…the four goals allowed in the first half were the most allowed in a half by MSUB since allowing six in the second half of a 7-0 loss to Simon Fraser on Oct. 26, 2013…the eight combined goals were the most this year in a game the 'Jackets were involved in…Thursday was the third time this year MSUB scored three goals in a single half…MSUB had won 38 consecutive games when scoring three or more goals in a single half before Thursday…the last time MSUB scored three goals in a single half and lost was on Sept. 5, 2002 against Whitman College in a 4-3 defeat on the road.
 
COMING UP: The 2017 season concludes on Saturday in Billings, when the Yellowjackets host South Dakota School of Mines on Senior Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m., and MSUB's six graduating players will be honored in a pregame ceremony on the field. Live video and live statistics will be available online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.