By: Connor Pohlman
The Canisius Golden Griffins (1–4) went 0–3 on their three-game road trip this past week. The experience will certainly serve as a learning experience for the team as they look to bounce back in their next action, which will be their home opener.
Canisius started their road trip with a bout against the No. 17 Michigan Wolverines. Michigan outscored Canisius 12–2 in the second half, on its way to a 23–10 victory.
Redshirt freshman Colin Kelly tallied four goals to pace the Golden Griffins. Senior Jacob Buck and sophomore Hunter Parucki finished with two goals each, while junior Nathan Conry tallied a goal and an assist.
Holding an 11–8 lead at the break, Michigan scored seven of the first eight goals in the second half to build an 18–9 cushion with just under three minutes to play in the third quarter. The Wolverines kept up the pressure in the fourth, recording all four goals registered in the frame to complete the victory.
Canisius played their second game on Sunday against the No. 14 Denver Pioneers at the Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium in Denver. Denver finished with a 20–9 victory.
Senior Jacob Buck tallied two goals and added two assists to pace the Golden Griffins. Kelly posted his fourth hat trick of the season while sophomore Keegan Kozack added two goals.
Holding a 7–6 lead at the start of the second half, Denver erupted for seven unanswered goals over the opening 12:08 of the third quarter to build a 15–6 advantage. Seven different players found the back of the net for the Pioneers during the game-changing spurt.
Buck closed out the third quarter scoring to temporarily halt the Denver run, but the Pioneers continued to maintain control in the fourth, beginning the frame with five straight goals to build its largest lead of the afternoon, 20–7.
Head coach Miyashita spoke of his team’s effort during the game, saying, “We weren't overwhelmed by the moment of playing a top-20 team on their turf. Playing with the confidence that we did — and for each other — in the first half was great. Now, we've got to be able to do it for more than 30 minutes. That's the next challenge for us as a group and something that we talked about after our game on Tuesday and was a part of the conversation here after the game today.”
The Canisius Golden Griffins (1–4) ended their road trip with a match against the Air Force Falcons (1–4) on Monday.
Sophomore Keegan Kozack finished with four points on three goals and an assist for the Golden Griffins. Kelly, who was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week for the third consecutive week on Monday, finished with two goals and an assist. Graduate goalie Matt Vavonese made 14 saves between the pipes for Canisius.
In a low-scoring affair that saw neither team lead by more than two goals during the contest, Tolen was able to secure the win for the Falcons in overtime as he beat Vavonese with a low shot inside the left post from six yards out for his fourth goal of the season.
Canisius was able to force the extra session after Buck scored the lone goal of the fourth quarter midway through the final frame to knot the score at 8–8. Despite multiple chances, neither team was able to find the back of the net, sending the game to overtime and setting the stage for Tolen's overtime heroics.
In the second half, offense was at a premium as the teams combined for just four goals over the final 30 minutes of regulation.
The Griffs opened the third quarter with tallies from freshman Kayden Easter and Kozack to draw even at 7–7, but Joey Matheseon answered for Air Force to give the Falcons an 8–7 edge heading into the fourth.
The Canisius Golden Griffins men’s lacrosse team will make its 2022 home debut on March 6 when it welcomes Cleveland State to the Demske Sports Complex at 12 p.m.
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