Men's Lacrosse Falls in NCAA Tournament

Box Score Syracuse, N.Y. ? The Canisius College men's lacrosse team made its NCAA Tournament debut against third-seeded Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. The Griffs fell to the Orange, 20-3, ending Canisius' record-setting season.

Canisius finished the year with a 10-6 record and earned the NCAA Tournament invitation by winning its first MAAC title. The Griffs' 10 wins in 2008 are three more than the team's previous standard.

Senior Michael Blocho (pictured) led the Griffs with two goals, while freshman Adam Jones also scored for Canisius. Freshman Nick LoCoco and sophomore Tim Rowley each tallied an assist.

Senior Chris Courteau and junior Bryan Jack split time in goal. Courteau recorded four saves, while Jack made three stops.

The Griffs started the contest slow and could never recover. Syracuse outscored Canisius 6-0 in the first period and tallied the first nine eight goals of the game. Syracuse outshot the Griffs in the opening quarter, 10-3, and netted two man-down goals to jump to the early lead.

Canisius ended the first half on a strong note, scoring three of the final four goals. Jones netted the Griffs' first-ever postseason goal, beating a Syracuse defender and bouncing a shot past the Orange goaltender. Blocho then recorded two goals of his own as the teams headed into intermission with SU leading, 10-3.

The Orange (13-2) continued its solid play in the second half, outscoring the Griffs 7-0 in the third quarter to stretch its lead to 13, 16-3. Syracuse then added four goals in the final frame en route to the victory.

Senior Mike Leveille led the Orange with six points, recording four goals and two assists. Freshman goaltender John Galloway recorded eight saves, while Al Cavalieri stopped three shots in relief.

For the game, Syracuse outshot the Griffs, 41-23, and held a 33-18 advantage in ground balls. The Orange also won 14-of-24 faceoffs to improve to 21-1 in NCAA playoff games at the Carrier Dome.

Game Notes: Blocho moved pass Sean Semler for eighth place in school history in career goals. He finishes his career ranked eighth in school history with 90 career goals and 11th with 117 career points ... Courteau ended the year with a goals against average of 8.36, the second-best mark in school history and just .06 shy of the school record ... LoCoco raised his single-season total to 34 assists, the second most in school history. LoCoco registered at least one point in each game during his freshman season ... Jones edged LoCoco for the most points this season, leading the team with 47 points and 38 goals. LoCoco posted 46 points.

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Players Mentioned

#2 Michael Blocho: A; 5' 7"; Senior

#20 Chris Courteau: GK; 6' 1"; Senior

#1 Bryan Jack: GK; 6' 1"; Junior

#22 Adam Jones: M; 5' 10"; Freshman

#13 Nick LoCoco: A; 5' 9"; Freshman

#16 Tim Rowley: M; 6' 0"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#2 Michael Blocho
: 5' 7"; Senior
: A

#20 Chris Courteau
: 6' 1"; Senior
: GK

#1 Bryan Jack
: 6' 1"; Junior
: GK

#22 Adam Jones
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: M

#13 Nick LoCoco
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: A

#16 Tim Rowley
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: M