CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — James Scane scored with 2:10 remaining in the fourth quarter to break a 9-all tie and propelled No. 19 Robert Morris to an 11-9 victory over Canisius in collegiate men’s lacrosse action Tuesday at the Demske Sports Complex.
Jimmy Perkins tallied three goals and added an assist for the Colonials (8-3) while Matt Schmidt and Ryan Smith chipped in two goals each. Tyson Gibson pitched in a goal and two assists.
Sophomore Mathieu Boissonneault scored two goals and added two assists to lead the Golden Griffins (5-6). Sophomore Carter Stefaniak recorded a hat trick while senior Ryan McKee finished with a goal and two assists.
Scane’s game-winning goal came a little less than three minutes after Stefaniak netted back-to-back tallies in a 1:25 span for the Griffs to wipe out a two-goal deficit and tie the game at 9-9.
After forcing a turnover deep in their end, the Colonials quickly transitioned into the offensive half of the field, where Sean Doyle hit a streaking Scane, who took the feed in the alley and beat Canisius senior keeper Liam Ganzhorn with a shot inside the right post to give Robert Morris the lead.
On the ensuing faceoff, Robert Morris gained possession and forced Canisius to extend its pressure, allowing Gibson to get behind the defense and score on the unguarded cage with 54 seconds on the clock to determine the final margin.
Earlier in the contest, senior Connor Kearnan scored with 6:18 play in the first quarter to break a 1-1 tie and spark the Griffs to three unanswered goals and a 4-1 lead after one.
Robert Morris responded to the Canisius charge, scoring four of the next five goals over a 21:22 span, featuring a scoreless drought by both teams of more than 16 minutes, to tie the game at 5-5 midway through the third.
Canisius temporality halted the Colonials’ run as McKee scored just seconds after Jake Boudreau’s game-tying goal to momentarily restore the Griffs lead, 6-5, but Robert Morris answered right back with three straight tallies to take its first lead of the game, 8-6, early in the fourth.
The teams traded goals just 92 seconds apart midway through the final frame before Stefaniak’s back-to-back tallies tied the game with a little more than five minutes on the clock and set the stage for Scane’s heroics.
Ganzhorn got the start in goal for Canisius and finished with a season-high 13 saves. Alex Heger posted 11 saves between the pipes for Robert Morris.
Head Coach Mark Miyashita‘s Postgame Comments
“Robert Morris is a top-20 team and tonight we battled with them all throughout the game and showed when our guys come together and work to execute the game plan and focus with the intensity that is needed, we can play with anybody for an extended period of time.
“Heading to the second half of conference play, we need to take all the small details of the game and continue to learn that until the clock reads zeros and we have more on the scoreboard than the other team that you cannot take a play off because in Division I lacrosse it’s going to go back and forth and you’ll pay for it if you do. So, we just need to continue to getting closer to playing those a complete game and finishing out opponents.”
Game Notes
• Canisius saw its all-time record against Robert Morris shift to 5-6 with Tuesday’s setback.
• The Griffs also moved to 0-2 this season against nationally-ranked competition.
• Robert Morris held a 39-35 advantage in shots attempted for the contest while Canisius posted a 29-26 in shots on goal for the contest.
• Sophomore Carter Stefaniak recorded his third hat trick of the season with his three-goal effort on Tuesday.
• Sophomore Mathieu Boissonneault recorded multiple assists for the third straight contest as he finished with two helpers on Tuesday.
• Senior Liam Ganzhorn posted double-digits saves for the sixth time this season, recording a season-high 13 saves in the contest.
• Sophomore Reece Eddy tallied a season-high eight ground balls and added his third goal of the campaign during Tuesday’s contest.
• Senior Blake Rickan tallied a season-high three caused turnovers on Tuesday.
• Sophomore Daniel Balawejder tallied his first point of the season with an assist on senior Ryan McKee‘s third-quarter tally.
Up Next
• Canisius plays its final road game of the regular season Saturday when it travels to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponent Quinnipiac in a 2 p.m. contest at the Quinnipiac Lacrosse Stadium.
