BUFFALO – Canisius continues its four-game road swing Saturday with a 1 p.m. contest at Cleveland State.
The Griffs (1-2) and Vikings (2-4) are both back in the eastern time zone after a trip to Denver last weekend for the Faceoff Classic, hosted by the University of Denver. The teams each faced Air Force and host No. 1/1 Denver during the two-day event.
Canisius remains on the road after opening its four-game road swing with an appearance in the Faceoff Classic last weekend in Denver, Colo. The Griffs opened the event with a 15-10 setback to Air Force before suffering a 12-0 defeat at the hands of No. 1/1 Denver to close out the event. Junior Connor Kearnan continues to lead Canisius offensively, pacing the Griffs in goals (7), assists (7) and points (14). Fellow junior Steven Coss in second on the team in both goals (6) and points (6), thanks to a career-high four goals against Air Force. Freshman long-stick midfielder Reece Eddy has made an immediate impact on the defensive end, pacing the team in both ground balls (10) and caused turnovers (5). In goal, junior Liam Ganzhorn has started all three games for Canisius, compiling a .452 save percentage and a 11.96 goals against average in the early going.
Canisius opened a four-game road swing last weekend with an appearance in the Faceoff Classic, hosted by the University of Denver. The Griffs, making their third appearance in the event, opened the event with a 15-10 setback to Air Force before falling to No. 1/1 Denver by a 12-0 margin in the finale. Against the Falcons, junior Steven Coss tallied a career-high four goals while classmate Connor Kearnan added five points on three goals and two assists. Junior Liam Ganzhorn made seven saves in goal for Canisius before being replaced in the fourth quarter by senior Thomas Zacher. Versus top-ranked Denver, the Pioneers broke open a close contest in the second quarter and never looked back on its way to posting the shutout victory. Denver won 12-of-15 faceoffs contested in the contest and out-shot Canisius by a 44-18 margin for the game. Ganzhorn made seven saves between the pipes for Canisius.
In its first season as a NCAA Division I program, Cleveland State returns home after taking on Air Force and No. 1/1 Denver last weekend at the Faceoff Classic. The Vikings’ two wins this season have come against in-state competition, knocking off Division III foes Baldwin Wallace (9-2) and John Carroll (15-8). Freshmen Tristen Copeland and Jake Lewis have powered the Cleveland State attack in the early going, ranking 1-2 on the team’s scoring chart with 13 and 12 points, respectively. In goal, freshman Caleb Espinoza has started all six games for the Vikings, compiling a .492 save percentage and a 13.53 goals against average in those contests. Cleveland State is coached by Dylan Sheridan, who started the CSU program after assistant coaching stints with Princeton, Denver, Pfeiffer and Lebanon Valley. Sheridan also served as head coach of Thailand for the 2014 World Lacrosse Championship.
Saturday’s contest marks the first meeting between Canisius and Cleveland State. The tilt also serves as the first contest for the Griffs against an Ohio-based school since the 2000 season. Canisius hosted Ohio Wesleyan at the Demske Sports Complex on April 9, 2000, suffering a 17-13 setback to the Battling Bishops.
Canisius wraps up its four-game road swing March 14 with a 7 p.m. contest at Hobart.
from GoGriffs.com via IFTTT
