CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Top-ranked Albany rattled off 16 unanswered goals over a nearly 29-minute span to erase an early deficit and post a 19-11 victory over visiting Canisius in collegiate men’s lacrosse action Tuesday at Tom and Mary Casey Stadium in Albany.
Connor Fields tallied five goals and added three assists to power the Great Danes to their seventh straight victory to open the 2018 season. Tehoka Nanticoke chipped in three goals and three assists while three players –Alex Burgmaster, Josh Egan and Jakob Patterson – finished with two goals apiece.
Sophomore Mathieu Boissonneault scored five goals, senior Steven Coss tallied two goals and two assists and senior Connor Kearnan finished with three assists for the Golden Griffins (3-3).
Canisius used a pair of goals from Coss and a tally from sophomore Carter Stefaniak over the opening 6:06 of the contest to build an early 3-0 advantage.
The teams traded goals over the next two minutes before Fields recorded back-to-back tallies late in the opening quarter to ignite the game-changing stretch that saw eight different players find the back of the net for the Great Danes as they used the run to build a 17-4 cushion by the midway point of the third quarter.
Boissonneault ended the Albany spurt with his second of the contest at the 6:14 mark of the third, starting a sequence that saw the Griffs record four of the final five goals of the frame to make it an 18-8 game heading into the fourth.
Canisius continued to cut into the Great Danes advantage, using tallies from senior Ryan McKee and Boissonneault to pull the Griffs within eight, 18-10, midway through the final frame. The teams traded goals over the remaining five-plus minutes of action to determine the final margin.
JD Colarusso recorded four saves in goal for Albany before being replaced in the third quarter by sophomore Nate Siekierski, who tallied three saves. Senior keeper Liam Ganzhorn matched his season-high with 12 saves for Canisius while sophomore Cody Haas posted one save in relief of Ganzhorn.
Head Coach Mark Miyashita‘s Postgame Comments
“We finally got a good start for the first time all year. We came out and made a statement right away and were able to sustain it, which was huge boost of confidence to show that regardless of who we’re playing, it was not a matter of nerves today. The start is very encouraging for us to build upon.
“During that run they were able to capitalize on our mistakes and that’s what talented teams like Albany are able to do. We knew the faceoff X was going to be a challenge because of how good their faceoff guy, TD Ierlan, is so it put our backs against the wall in terms of being able to get some momentum because don’t know if you’re going to get that ball right back off the faceoff because he’s been so dominant this year. They got more chances and that was the result of them being able to go on that run that they went on.
“I’m very proud of the fact that our guys battled for 60 minutes and didn’t give up. They gave an honest effort throughout and there is a lot of positives we can build upon as we head into conference play this weekend at Siena.
Game Notes
• Albany increased its lead in the all-time to 4-2 with Tuesday’s victory. The win by the Great Danes was the first by a home team in the series that dates back to the 2012 season.
• Albany held a 49-34 shot advantage for the contest as the Great Danes out-shot the Griffs by a 32-14 margin in the first half.
• The Great Danes won 26-of-34 faceoffs contested during the contest. Sophomore Daniel Balawejderrecorded all eight of Canisius’ faceoff victories.
• Sophomore Mathieu Boissonneault recorded his second hat trick in as many contests as he finished Tuesday’s contest with a career-high five goals
• Senior Connor Kearnan dished out three or more assists in a game for the fourth time this season and seventh time in his career as he dished out three assists on Tuesday.
• Senior Liam Ganzhorn recorded double-digit saves in a game for the second time this season and the 17th time in his career as he matched his season-high with 12 saves.
• Senior Keith Pravato recorded his first two points of the season as he tallied a goal and an assist on Tuesday.
Up Next
• Canisius completes its three-game road swing Saturday when it travels to Loudonville, N.Y., for its MAAC opener against Siena.
• Opening faceoff between the Griffs and Saints is set for 1 p.m. at the Siena Turf Field.
