The Canisius College men's lacrosse team revealed its 2010 schedule on Thursday. The Griffs will play six home games at the Demske Sports Complex, highlighted by hosting defending national runner-up Cornell.

"We are extremely excited for our schedule this season," said head coach Randy Mearns. "Our early non-conference games will certainly give us a test and prepare us for our MAAC games. As we learned last year, every conference games is crucial and will be a challenge for us."

Canisius opens the season at Harvard on February 27. The Griffs will face the Crimson for the first time in the program's history. Canisius will then return home to face perennial power Cornell on March 2. The Big Red advanced to the NCAA Championship last season before falling in overtime.

"Hosting Cornell is the biggest home game in our program's history," Mearns said. "Having an established powerhouse come to our place is great for Western New York lacrosse and will only help our program grow."

The Griffs will also play at Denver (March 13) and Robert Morris (April 6) in non-conference action, while hosting instate-rival Hobart on April 13. Canisius is playing the Pioneers for the first time. Last season, the Griffs defeated Robert Morris, while falling to Hobart.

"Our non-conference schedule will certainly be challenging this season." Mearns said. "We are excited to start a series with Harvard and to be able to take a trip to Denver and continue our relationship with Bill Tierney. Robert Morris and Hobart are always talented teams and will be a difficult game."

Canisius opens MAAC play on March 20, playing at Mount St. Mary's. The Griffs' conference home opener is scheduled for March 27 against Manhattan. Canisius will also host Marist (April 10), Detroit (April 21) and Siena (April 28) in MAAC action, while playing at Saint Joseph's (April 3), Wagner (April 17) and VMI (May 1).

The top four teams in the MAAC regular season qualify for the 2010 MAAC Championship, held on the campus of Marist. The semifinals will take place on May 7 with the championship game slate for May 9.