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VICTOR – Canisius men’s lacrosse opens Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play this weekend as it hosts Marist in an 8:30 p.m. contest at the Pinnacle Athletic Campus.
The matchup between the Griffs (2-3, 0-0 MAAC) and Red Foxes (4-2, 0-0 MAAC) was originally scheduled to be played at Canisius’ Demske Sports Complex, but the contest was moved to the indoor facility near Rochester due to the effects of Winter Storm Stella, which worked its way through the Buffalo area earlier in the week.
Canisius (2-3) is making its second appearance at the Pinnacle Athletic Campus this week as was at the indoor facility on Tuesday for its matchup with Hobart. The Statesmen defeated the Griffs by a score of 18-11 in that contest. Junior Connor Kearnan continues to lead the Griffs attack, pacing the squad in goals (12), assists (12) and points (24). Kearnan racked up six points with three goals and three assists against Hobart on Tuesday. Senior Jeff Edwards is second on the team in scoring with 14 points. Edwards became just the 19th player in program history to reach the 100-point plateau for his career with his four points against the Statesmen Tuesday. Junior Liam Ganzhorn has started all five games in goal for the Griffs. He sports a .467 save percentage and a 11.78 goals against average in those contests.
Hobart recorded five unanswered goals in a 7:08 span during the second half to break open a close contest and defeat Canisius, 18-11, Tuesday at the Pinnacle Athletic Campus. Moments after Canisius had capped a four-goal outburst to make it a one-goal contest midway through the third quarter, the Statesmen scored back-to-back tallies in a 53-second span to start the game-changing spurt that lasted into the fourth quarter. Junior Connor Kearnan tallied three goals and added three points to lead the Griffs (2-3). Senior Jeff Edwards scored one goal and added three assists for four points as he surpassed the 100-point plateau for his career. Senior Jeff Edwards became the 19th player in program history to reach the 100-point plateau for his career with his four-point effort on Tuesday. Edwards is the first Canisius player to reach the milestone since his brother, Tim, did so during his junior season in 2013-14. Junior Connor Kearnan recorded five or more points in a game for the third time this season as he finished with three goals and three assists Tuesday. Junior Liam Ganzhorn finished with 10 saves, marking the third time this season that Ganzhorn has recorded double-digit saves in a contest.
Marist looks to carry its early-season momentum its conference opener Saturday as the Red Foxes have compiled an impressive 4-2 mark in the opening five weeks of the regular season. J.D. Recor paces the Marist attack, racking up 29 points in six games. Recor leads the MAAC in both points (4.83) and assists (2.67) per contest. Gannon Morrison serves as the Red Foxes top goal scorer, notching 16 goals in the early going to rank tied for second in the league in goals per game (2.67). In goal, Brian Corrigan has been solid in the cage for Marist, leading the MAAC in goals against average (7.17) and save percentage (.629).
In a series that dates back to the Griffs’ inaugural season of 1990, Marist holds a 14-9 advantage against Canisius. Marist has claimed the last four meetings with the Griffs, including a 13-10 win last March in Poughkeepsie. The road team has won three of the last five meetings and four of the last seven. Prior to the seven-game run, the home team was 14-2 in the series. The Griffs last defeated the Red Foxes during the 2012 season, winning the regular-season finale in Poughkeepsie, 7-5, to clinch a spot in a MAAC Tournament they won.
Canisius hosts No. 8 Albany Tuesday in a 4 p.m. contest at the Demske Sports Complex.
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