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VICTOR — Canisius completes a four-game road swing Tuesday with a 1 p.m. contest against Hobart at the Pinnacle Athletic Campus.
The contest between the Griffs (2-2) and the Statesmen (2-4) was originally scheduled for 7 p.m. on Hobart’s campus in Geneva, but was moved to Victor due to the threat of inclement weather.
Canisius (2-2) returns to action for the first time since March 3 when it posted a 17-7 victory at Division I newcomer Cleveland State. The Griffs are making their second appearance of the season at the Pinnacle Athletic Campus, having open their 2017 season with a 13-8 victory over Dartmouth at the venue on Feb. 18. Junior Connor Kearnan continues to lead the Griffs attack, pacing the squad in goals (9), assists (9) and points (18). Kearnan ranks amongst the top twenty players nationally in both assists (14th) and points (17th) per game. Senior Jeff Edwards is second on the team in scoring with 10 points. Edwards recorded a career-high four goals and added three assists to finish with seven points in Canisius’ victory over the Vikings to earn MAAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second time in his career. Junior Liam Ganzhorn has started all four games in goal for the Griffs. He sports a .494 save percentage and a 10.67 goals against average in those contests.
Canisius took advantage of a pair of lengthy runs and a potent offensive attack to defeat Cleveland State, 17-7, March 4 at Krenzler Field. Senior Jeff Edwards matched his career high with seven points on four goals and three assists to pace the Griffs. Junior Ryan McKee notched four goals and sophomore Mario Caito added three. Junior Connor Kearnan tallied two goals and added two assists for four points. The 17 goals scored by Canisius were the most for the Griffs since a 20-6 victory over VMI on April 19, 2015. Edwards matched his career high with seven points (4g, 3a) against the Vikings, equaling his total set against Manhattan on April, 9, 2016. He also established a new career high with four goals, eclipsing his previous personal best of three, set on three occasions. Junior Ryan McKee matched his career high with four goals on Saturday. McKee matched his previous personal best, set against Binghamton on April 12, 2016. Junior Liam Ganzhorn recorded double-digit saves for the second time this season and the ninth time in his career as he finished with 12 saves.
Defending Northeast Conference campaign Hobart (2-4) enters Tuesday’s matchup with Canisius looking to halt a three-game losing skid after suffering a 16-6 setback to Georgetown Saturday at the Pinnacle Athletic Complex. Senior Frank Brown paces the Statesmen attack with a team-high 15 points. Brown is one of three players with a team-best six assists this season. Freshman Justin Scott and senior Max Romm rank 1-2 in goals scored for Hobart, with 13 and 12 tallies this season. Senior Jackson Brown has started five of six games in goal for the Statesmen, posting a .457 save percentage and a 14.00 goals against average.
In 17 all-time meetings between the two New York schools, Hobart holds a 16-1 advantage against the Griffs. Canisius’ lone win in the series came during the 2010 season when it posted an 8-7 overtime victory in Buffalo. Hobart has won the last six games in the series, including an 8-7 overtime victory at the Demske Sports Complex last March. Including last season’s matchup, three of the past seven matchups between the two programs have gone to overtime. All three overtime contests took place in Buffalo.
Canisius opens Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play Saturday when it hosts Marist in a Noon contest at the Demske Sports Complex. The contest will be shown live on ESPN3.
