Men’s Lacrosse Begins 2018 Season at Dartmouth

Canisius (0-0, 0-0 MAAC) at Dartmouth (0-0, 0-0 MAAC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 17
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Hanover, N.H. | Scully-Fahey Field
TV/Webcast: Ivy League Network
Live Stats: Dartmouthsports.com
Series History: Canisius leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Canisius 13, Dartmouth 8 (February 18, 2017)

The Canisius men's lacrosse program opens the 2018 season Saturday when it squares off against Ivy-League foe Dartmouth in a 1 p.m. matinee at Scully-Fahey Field in Hanover, N.H.

Scouting Canisius
• Canisius welcomes back eight starters and 28 letterwinners from its 2017 squad that saw the Griffs finish second in the MAAC standings and qualify for the conference tournament for the third time in four years.
• Senior attack Connor Kearnan, a preseason All-MAAC selection, highlights a Canisius offense that returns six of its top eight point producers from a season ago.
• Kearnan led the Griffs in goals (35), assists (24) and points (59) last season on his way to earning MAAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year and All-MAAC First Team accolades.
• Senior captain Steven Coss returns to the midfield for the Griffs after a 2017 campaign that saw the Canton, Ohio, product garner All-MAAC Second Team accolades after ranking third on the team in goals (18), assists (9) and points (27).
• Sophomore long-stick midfielder Reece Eddy looks to build off a solid freshman campaign as the Skaneateles, N.Y., product paced the Griffs in both in ground balls (50) and caused turnovers (17) last season. Eddy was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team for his efforts.
• Preseason All-MAAC selection Logan Monroe returns to anchor the Griffs defense that ranked third in the MAAC in scoring defense (10.67). Monroe started all 15 games for Canisius last season and was an All-MAAC First Team pick after ranking second on the Griffs in caused turnovers (15) while also chipping in 17 ground balls.
• In goal, senior Liam Ganzhorn is back after starting all 15 games in the cage for the Griffs last season; ranking third in the MAAC in goals against average (10.47) and fifth in save percentage (.485).
• The Griffs bring 12 newcomers into the fold this season, welcoming seven student-athletes from New York, one from Colorado, Illinois, Ohio and Texas as well as one student-athlete from the province of Ontario into the lineup for the 2018 campaign.

The Miyashita Era Begins
• Saturday's contest marks the first contest for Canisius under the guidance of former Griffs standout Mark Miyashita '03.
• Named the fourth head coach in program history last August, Miyashita returned to Main Street after spending the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Sacred Heart.
• Serving as the Pioneers' offensive and recruiting coordinator, Miyashita built and orchestrated a Sacred Heart attack that ranked second in the NEC in scoring offense (11.33 goals/game) and featured four of the top 10 players in the league in points per game in 2017.
• A member of the Canisius Hall of Fame class of 2013, Miyashita appeared in 42 games during his four seasons with the Blue and Gold, finishing his career ranked among the program's career leaders in points (145/7th), assists (74/8th) and goals (71/15th).
• A three-time captain, Miyashita led the Griffs in points in both 2000 and 2003, two seasons where he also earned All-MAAC First Team honors. The school's all-time leader in career faceoff percentage (.593) and ground balls (329), he led the nation in ground balls per game during the 2000 season with 10.69, a number that still ranks second-best in NCAA history to this day.
• He ended his career with 7.83 ground balls per game, a number that currently ranks eighth all-time in NCAA men's lacrosse history.

Scouting Dartmouth
• Dartmouth starts its fourth season under the guidance of Brendan Callahan with Saturday's opener, looking to improve upon last season's 2-11 record.
• Senior Richie Loftus, who pace the Big Green last season with 35 points (21g, 14a) returns to lead a Big Green attack that welcomes back all five of its double-digit scorers from the 2017 campaign.
• Sophomore Ben Martin looks to build upon a promising rookie season that saw him tie Loftus for the team lead in goals (21) and finish second on the team's scoring chart with 24 points.
• Sophomore George Christopher is returning for his second season in the Big Green goal. Last season, Christopher appeared in all 13 games, posting a 12.39 goals against average and a .505 save percentage in 755 minutes of action.

Canisius-Dartmouth Series Notes
• Saturday's contest versus as the second meeting between Canisius and Dartmouth.
• The Griffs and Big Green opened the 2017 campaign last February with a contest at the Pinnacle Sports Complex in Victor, N.Y.
• Canisius recorded a 13-8 victory in that matchup as Connor Kearnan recorded a career-high nine points (4g, 5a) while Liam Ganzhorn posted a personal-best 14 saves, including seven during the fourth quarter.

Up Next
• Canisius continues its season-opening road swing Feb. 20 when it squares off against Empire State foe Binghamton in a 4 p.m. contest at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, N.Y.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Steven Coss: M; 5' 11"; Senior

#42 Reece Eddy: LSM; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#35 Liam Ganzhorn: GK; 6' 2"; Senior

#92 Connor Kearnan: A; 5' 8"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#10 Steven Coss
: 5' 11"; Senior
: M

#42 Reece Eddy
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: LSM

#35 Liam Ganzhorn
: 6' 2"; Senior
: GK

#92 Connor Kearnan
: 5' 8"; Senior
: A