The Canisius College men's lacrosse team suffered its third-straight loss to open the 2015 season, falling at Air Force, 13-6, at the Frontier Airlines Faceoff Classic.

“Frustrating right now is the word,” said Canisius head coach Randy Mearns. “We do a great job on the ground ball battle but we can't clear the ball with any confidence. We have great offensive opportunities but their goalie makes 14 saves and we can't create any momentum. At times, our defense plays tremendous and at other times, we break down. After the first three games, it feels like we are on a wild rollercoaster ride. We certainly have to do some soul searching right now from top to bottom.”

Senior Tim Edwards led the Griffs with two tallies, five ground balls and two caused turnovers on the day. He was named to the All-Tournament Team after totaling five points, three goals, two assists, seven ground balls and two caused turnovers during the weekend.

Graduate student Christopher Kane, juniors Vince Gravino and Billy Jacobbi and sophomore Jeff Edwards also added goals for the Griffs.

Senior netminder Alex Govenettio recorded eight saves for Canisius.

The Falcons (1-3) started the game strong and the Griffs never fully recovered. Air Force netted the first three goals of the game and four of the first five to take a 4-1 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the first. Canisius pulled back within one, 4-3, when Tim Edwards scored with just one second left in the opening quarter and Kane netted his third of the year with 9:04 left in the half.

However, that was as close as Canisius would get. Air Force netted the final goal of the opening half to head into the intermission with a 5-3 lead. The Falcons quickly stretched their advantage to 7-3 early in the third quarter before Gravino and Jacobbi brought the deficit back to where it stood at the half, 7-5, only to see Air Force net the next six goals to put the game out of reach.

The Falcons finished the game with a slight advantage in shots, 33-30, and in faceoffs, 13-8. Canisius won the ground ball battle, 31-23, but struggled in the clearing game by converting just 8-of-15 chances. The Griffs committed 18 turnovers in the game with all but five being unforced.

Chris Walsch led Air Force with six points on four goals and two assists, while Doug Gouchoe earned the win in net with 14 saves.

Canisius is back in action next weekend with a road contest against Michigan. First faceoff on Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m.