The Canisius College men's lacrosse team couldn't overcome a 24-minute drought and seven-goal run as Monmouth pulled away from the Griffs on Saturday afternoon for an 11-6 victory. The loss drops Canisius to 2-4 on the season and 1-2 in MAAC play, while the Hawks improve to 6-3 and 2-1 versus conference foes.

“Credit goes to Monmouth today,” said Canisius head coach Randy Mearns. “They pressed on the clear, especially in the second quarter, and we couldn't capitalize with great opportunities on first-time ground balls. We just couldn't get the ball to our offense as much as we wanted. Monmouth came in with a great game plan and I just feel like they wanted it more in those little plays. We have a great group of guys and I'm confident we will right the ship. Everyone has made the commitment to get back at it on Monday and get ready for a really important game versus Manhattan.”

Junior Jeff Edwards led the Griffs attack with four points on a goal and three assists, while senior Vince Gravino netted his first hat trick of the season. Senior Nick Tuttle and sophomore Connor Kearnan also chipped in a goal for Canisius.

Sophomore Liam Ganzhorn finished with 12 saves in net for the Griffs.

Canisius started the game with a solid first quarter. After Monmouth sandwiched a pair of goals around a tally from Gravino, Tuttle squared the contest at two with 3:19 remaining before Kearnan gave the Griffs their only lead of the game, 3-2, with 1:51 left in the opening frame.

Monmouth, however, would answer and control the next two periods to take a commanding lead. Canisius won the opening faceoff of the second quarter and had five shots on its first possession – all off target. The Hawks would eventually gain possession and score on the other end to tie the game and by the time the Griffs once again held the ball in their offensive zone, Monmouth would hold a 6-3 lead with three minutes remaining in the half. During the Hawks' 4-0 run, the Griffs were 0-for-2 on clearing chances and committed four turnovers overall (compared to just three shots after the initial possession) during the scoreless frame.

The Hawks carried their momentum into the third quarter, scoring just six seconds into the period and the first three goals overall for a 9-3 lead. Gravino ended the Griffs 24:09 drought – where Monmouth scored seven-straight goals – as the schools headed into the final frame with the Hawks ahead, 9-4.

In the final quarter, Canisius fired 15 shots toward cage but struggled to break through as the Monmouth netminder recorded seven saves in the fourth and the Hawks held on for the 11-6 victory.

The schools finished the contest even in shots at 35 and ground balls at 27. Chris Daly led the Hawks with four tallies on the day, while Nick Hreshko recorded 14 saves to earn the win.

The Griffs are back in action next Saturday with a home contest against Manhattan. Game time at the Demske Sports Complex is scheduled for 3 p.m. with the game being shown live on ESPN3.

Game Notes: Edwards matched his career high with three assists … The road team won for the first time in the three-game series between the two schools … Canisius won the faceoff battle, 12-9, marking the first time this season that a team that won more restarts in a Canisius game, lost the contest.