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BUFFALO – Canisius men’s lacrosse takes to the road this weekend as it travels downstate to face Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Manhattan.
The Griffs (3-4, 1-0 MAAC) and Jaspers (2-6, 0-1 MAAC) square off Saturday in a in a 1 p.m. matinee at Gaelic Park in Riverdale. The game is part of a lacrosse doubleheader that features the Canisius women’s lacrosse team taking on Manhattan in a conference contest slated for 4 p.m.
Canisius (3-4) eyes a return to the win column after suffering a 20-11 defeat at the hands of No. 8/9 Albany at the Demske Sports Complex on Tuesday. Junior Connor Kearnan continues to lead the Griffs in goals (18), assists (15) and points (33). Kearnan ranks in the top 15 nationally in both points (12th) and assists (15th) per game while sitting in the top 30 in goals per contest (26th). Senior Jeff Edwards (7g, 11a) and junior Ryan McKee (12g, 6a) are tied for second on the team in scoring with 18 points apiece. McKee finished with three goals for his third hat trick of the season in Canisius’ matchup with the Great Danes on Tuesday. Junior Liam Ganzhorn has started all seven games in goal for the Griffs. He sports a .470 save percentage and a 11.71 goals against average in those contests. Canisius has made the most of its man-up situations this season as it ranks eighth nationally in man-up offense (.500). The Griffs, who are 10-of-20 with the extra attacker this season, were just 1-of-5 in extra man opportunities in their matchup with Albany on Tuesday.
Nationally-ranked Albany scored four goals in the opening 3:23 of the contest and never looked back as the Great Danes posted a 20-11 victory over Canisius Tuesday at the Demske Sports Complex. Connor Fields powered a high-powered Albany attack that established a new season high for goals with seven points (4g, 3a) as the Great Danes extended their winning streak to five games with the victory. Juniors Connor Kearnan and Ryan McKee tallied three goals each for the Griffs (3-4). Junior Steven Coss tallied two goals and an assist, while freshman Alex Hornung finished with a goal and two assists. Kearnan recorded his fifth hat trick of the season and his third in as many games with his three-goal effort on Tuesday. McKee, meanwhile, posted his third hat trick of the season and the fifth of his collegiate career with his three-goal effort on Tuesday. Junior Liam Ganzhorn recorded double-digit saves in a game for the third time this season and the 10th time in his career as he finished Tuesday’s contest with 11 saves. Freshman Reece Eddy paced Canisius with six ground balls while sophomore Logan Monroe led the squad with three caused turnovers.
Manhattan heads into Saturday’s contest looking to halt a losing skid that reached four games last week with a 14-11 setback at Detroit Mercy on March 18. The Jaspers are led offensively by Parker Giarrantana, who paces the team in goals (21) and points (27). Giarratana ranks second in the MAAC in goals (2.62) and sixth in points (3.38) per game. CJ Scharf serves as Manhattan’s top playmaker, dishing out a team-best 11 assists to rank sixth on the circuit in assists per contest (1.25). Michael Zingaro has started all eight contests in goal for the Jaspers. Zingaro ranks second in the nation in saves per game (13.38) and holds a 14.45 goals against average in 481 minutes played this season.
The Griffs own a convincing 18-4 advantage in the all-time series against the Jaspers. Canisius has won the last 10 meetings versus Manhattan, dating back to the 2008 season. The Jaspers have not defeated the Griffs since a 13-6 win in 2007. The Griffs have won their last three trips to Manhattan, winning the four games by a combined total of eight goals. Last season, Jeff Edwards recorded seven points with three goals and four assists to pace the Griffs to a 13-11 come-from-behind triumph at the Demske Sports Complex.
Canisius returns home Tuesday to host non-conference foe Binghamton in a 4 p.m. contest at the Demske Sports Complex. The game will be shown live on ESPN3.