Men's Lacrosse Hosts Vikings in Home Opener Sunday

Canisius (2-1, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Cleveland State (1-5)
Date: Sunday, March 4
Time: Noon
Location: Buffalo | Demske Sports Complex
TV/Webcast:MAAC.tv
Live Stats: G oGriffs.com
Series History: Canisius leads, 1-0
Game Notes: Canisius | Cleveland State
Last Meeting: Canisius 17, Cleveland State 7 (March 4, 2017)

Canisius men's lacrosse opens the home portion of its 2018 schedule Sunday as it welcomes Cleveland State to the Demske Sports Complex for a Noon matinee.

Scouting Canisius
• The Golden Griffins (2-1) make their home debut Saturday after concluding their season-opening road swing with 14-13 overtime victory against Furman on Feb. 24.
• Senior Connor Kearnan paces the Canisius attack, leading the Griffs in assists (15) and points (21). Kearnan, the reigning MAAC Offensive Player of the Week, begins the week leading the nation in assists per game (5.0) and third in points per contest (7.0).
• Sophomore Carter Stefaniak is second on the team in scoring with 12 points (8g, 4a). Stefaniak has recorded three or more points in each of the Griffs' three games this season.
• Senior Ryan McKee leads the team with nine goals and is third on the squad with 10 goals. McKee has recorded a hat trick in two of Canisius' three games this season.
• Senior Liam Ganzhorn has started all three games in goal for Canisius, posting a 11.99 goals against average and a .429 save percentage in 180 minutes of work.
• Canisius has made the most of its shot attempts as it ranks second nationally in shooting percentage (.422). The Griffs have converted on more than 38 percent of its shot attempts in each of its three contests thus far this season.
• Canisius has also excelled in man-up situations in the early going as it is 7-of-14 with the man advantage this season to rank ninth in the nation in that category.

Canisius Battles Back to Defeat Furman in Overtime, 14-13
• Senior Steven Coss scored 14 seconds into overtime to lift Canisius to a 14-13 victory over Furman in a neutral-site contest at Radnor High School in Wayne, Pa., on Feb. 24.
• Coss' extra-session marker completed a hat trick for the Canton, Ohio, product and capped a comeback that saw the Griffs battle back from a five-goal deficit to pick up its second come-from-behind victory of the young season.
• Canisius trailed 7-2 midway through the second quarter before battling back to take the lead in the fourth quarter. The Paladins responded to tie the game late and force overtime, where the Griffs scored on the first possession to claim the victory.
• Senior Ryan McKee and sophomore Carter Stefaniak also recorded hat tricks for Canisius.
• Senior Connor Kearnan tallied two goals and dished out a personal-best
seven assists to match his career high with nine points.
• The win was Canisius' first overtime victory since a 10-9 extra-session triumph against Siena on March 28, 2015.

Scouting Cleveland State
• The Vikings (1-5) conclude a four-game road swing with their visit to Buffalo that also featured contests against Bellarmine (9-13), Air Force (8-7) and Denver (8-17).
• Michael Wilson leads the Cleveland State attack with nine points (8g, 1a) while Tristen Copeland is second with eight (5g, 3a).
• Derek Radke is third on the team in scoring with seven points, thanks to a team-high six assists.
• Second-year head coach Dylan Sheridan has relied upon a trio of goaltenders in the early going as Marshal Amon, Caleb Espinoza and Stephen Russo have all split time in the cage thus far. Together, they have combined for a 12.45 goals against average and a .390 save percentage in 361 minutes of work this season.

Canisius-Cleveland State Series Notes
• Saturday's contest serves as the second meeting between Canisius and Cleveland State.
• The two teams meet last March in Cleveland, with the Griffs posting a 17-7 victory over the Vikings at the Krenzler Dome.
• Ryan McKee tallied four goals and Mario Caito added three while Connor Kearnan chipped in two goals and two assists.

Kearnan Tabbed MAAC Offensive Player of the Week
• Canisius senior attack Connor Kearnan was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's Offensive Player of the Week for men's lacrosse, the league announced Feb. 27.
• A native of Courtice, Ontario, Kearnan scored six goals and dished out 11 assists in leading the Golden Griffins to road victories against Binghamton (12-10) and Furman (14-13) last week.
• Versus the Bearcats, Kearnan scored four goals and added four assists to help spearhead a Canisius comeback that saw the Griffs erase a four-goal deficit on its way to their first road victory in program history against Binghamton.
• In a neutral site matchup against the Paladins on Saturday, Kearnan matched his career high with nine points as he tallied two goals and personal-best seven assists in the overtime triumph.

Up Next
Canisius returns to action March 17 when it squares off against Empire State foe Colgate in a 1 p.m. contest at Andy Kerr Stadium in Hamilton.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Mario Caito: A; 5' 8"; Junior

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

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

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

#9 Ryan McKee: A; 5' 7"; Senior

#7 Carter Stefaniak: M; 5' 11"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#3 Mario Caito
: 5' 8"; Junior
: A

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

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

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

#9 Ryan McKee
: 5' 7"; Senior
: A

#7 Carter Stefaniak
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: M