DETROIT -  Canisius scored the last eight goals of the game to erase a two-goal deficit and defeat Detroit Mercy, 11-5, in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's lacrosse action Saturday at Titan Field.

In a matchup of two of the league's three undefeated teams, junior Connor Kearnan recorded six points on five goals and one assist to power the Griffs (5-5, 3-0 MAAC) attack. Freshman Alex Hornung chipped in four points with two goals and two assists while junior Eric Gold also added a pair of tallies.

Junior Liam Ganzhorn made 11 saves in goal for the Griffs, including the final five shots he faced from UDM as the Griffs held the Titans without a goal for the final 31:51 of the contest.  

Matthew Vangalen tallied three goals for UDM (5-7, 3-1 MAAC). Kyle Beauregard and Alec Gilhooly also found the back of the net for the Titans.

Trailing 5-4 at the start of the third quarter, Kearnan brought the Griffs level with man-up tally at the 12:53 mark of the third quarter before the two teams would engage in a defensive battle that saw neither team convert for the next 14:53.  

Senior Lewis Vaccaro finally broke the deadlock 2:02 into the fourth quarter to give Canisius their first lead of the contest, 6-5.

Gold and Kearnan combined to give the Griffs some breathing room, scoring the next four goals of the game during a 5:08 stretch to extend the Canisius advantage to 10-6. Hornung capped the Griffs' run when he put home his second goal of the game with 2:51 to play.  

Earlier in the contest, UDM used consecutive tallies from Beauregard, Gilhooly, and Vangalen in a 5:02 span to break a 1-1 deadlock and build a 4-1 cushion.

Kearnan brought Canisius within one moments later, scoring back-to-back goals in a 52-second span to make it a 4-3 game midway through the second quarter.

Vangalen restored the Titans' two-goal advantage with 1:51 remaining in the second, only to see Hornung counter just 56 seconds later to make it a 5-4 contest and start the Griffs' game-changing run.  

Head Coach Randy Mearns Postgame Comments
“This was a great team win for us today. I'm really proud of the guys. We've never won at Detroit Mercy before, so this was a very big win for us.

“All facets of the game were clicking for us today. When that occurs and you play with some poise and composure, good things start to happen. That was the case for us in the second half today.

“We didn't get rattled. Coach (Brendan) Murphy had an excellent defensive game plan that we got better at executing as the game went along. We were able to battle back and tie the game at 5-5 and then you look at the fourth quarter, Liam (Ganzhorn) made four saves, we started clicking in our transition game and our defense did a great job in limiting their chances.

“Eric Gold came in today and did a great job on the offensive end, as did Alex Hornung. Connor (Kearnan) was picking and choosing his chances and absolutely got on fire in the second half. Defensively, Holden Garlent and Logan Monroe were given tough individual assignments, but both rose to the challenge and because of that, we were able to take control of the game.”

Game Notes
- Canisius moved to 4-5 all-time against Detroit Mercy as the Griffs picked up their second straight victory against the Titans. The victory was also the first in four tries for Canisius against UDM at Titan Field.
- Saturday's triumph gave Canisius a 3-0 start in league play for the first time since the 2008 season, when the Griffs opened conference play with six straight victories.
- The five goals scored by UDM were the fewest by a Canisius opponent this season. The Griffs are now 4-0 this season when holding their opponent to single-digit goals in a contest.
- Junior Connor Kearnan recorded his seventh hat trick of the season and the 12th of his career with the five-goal effort on Saturday. Kearnan also recorded five or more points in a game for the fifth time this season and the seventh in his career.
- Freshman Alex Hornung posted season highs in goals, assists and points with his four-point effort on Saturday.
- Junior Liam Ganzhorn recorded double-digit saves for the fifth time this season and the 12th time in his career with his 11-save effort against UDM Saturday.  

Up Next
- Canisius returns to action April 15 when it hosts MAAC foe Siena in a 3 p.m. contest at the Demske Sports Complex.
- The game serves as the second half of a men's and women's doubleheader, with the women's team hosting Quinnipiac in a Noon tilt.
- The game will be shown live on Spectrum Sports (formally TWCSN).