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Canisius University Athletics

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Canisius defenseman Alexis Simard is shown running with the ball in game action at the Demske Sports Complex on March 29, 2025
Tom Wolf
8
Canisius CANISIUS 0-1, 0-0
10
Winner Mercyhurst HURST 0-3, 0-0
Canisius CANISIUS
0-1, 0-0
8
Final
10
Mercyhurst HURST
0-3, 0-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Canisius CANISIUS 1 0 4 3 8
Mercyhurst HURST 4 1 2 3 10

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

Men’s Lacrosse Suffers Setback at Mercyhurst

Mercyhurst scored six of the first seven goals of the game and held off a late rally to defeat Canisius, 10-8, in collegiate men's lacrosse action Tuesday at Saxon Stadium in Erie, Pa.
 
Mason Blakemen recorded a hat trick while Robert Madden notched two goals and two assists to pace the Lakers attack (1-3). Tyler Moritzen finished with 12 saves between the pipes while Denis Cole Jr. led all players with four caused turnovers and pitched in two ground balls.
 
Sophomore Carson Christy and freshman Justin Relosky tallied three points each on identical score lines (2g-1a) for the Golden Griffins (0-2). Senior Alexis Simard pitched in two goals while rookie Quinn Little accounted for the seventh Canisius tally as he opened his collegiate account in the first quarter.  
 
Graduate goalie Tommy Kunz recorded nine saves while senior Micah Hanson went 14-of-20 at the face-off "X" with a game-high seven ground balls.
 
Mercyhurst raced out to an early 2-0 lead before Little got the Griffs on the board to make it a one-goal contest midway through the first half.
 
The Lakers controlled play for the next 25-plus minutes of game play, finding the back of the net four times while keeping Canisius off the board to build a 6-1 cushion early in the second half.
 
Relosky got the Griffs back on track, potting his first collegiate marker to spark a three-goal surge that got Canisius within two, 6-4, with just over two minutes to play in the third quarter.
 
Mercyhurst regained momentum moments later, as a man-up tally from Madden in the final minute of the third sparked the Lakers to score four of the next five goals to maintain a 10-5 edge with a little more than five minutes to play in the contest.
 
Canisius attempted to make things interesting as it rattled off three unanswered goals to pull within two during the final minute of regulation. That was as close as the Griffs would get, however, as the Lakers held on for the 10-8 triumph.
 
POSTGAME COMMENTS
"Unfortunately, we didn't come out in the first quarter ready to play and that put us in a hole that was more than the gap at the end of the game. So, we've got to find a better way to get ourselves started. It's as simple as that.
 
"The first quarter was a little bit different (than the game at Hobart). We played a little bit slower on offense today and had some turnovers which didn't allow us to get into a rhythm out of the gate and that put our defense in a spot where they had to play a lot more on our end. When you do that, it's tough. You got to be able to play complimentary lacrosse throughout in terms of offense, defense, clearing and transition. Unfortunately, we didn't do a good enough job of that early on today and that gave them more chances and it put us in the bind that we were in.
 
"The second half showed that we have the offensive ability. We must be able to start on time. We don't get 30 minutes to warm ourselves up in the game and then play the last two quarters. We've got to be mentally and physically ready to go and play at the tempo and the pace that we're capable of.
 
"Some of our young guys discovered some success today and once you find that success, it makes things a lot easier a moving forward. Hopefully that can be a springboard for those guys. We leaned on a lot of young guys here on offense today. We're trying to find our groove with some injuries and sickness right now. We're going to just continue to keep chipping away and we must understand no one cares if you're a freshman or a senior; you're a lacrosse player. So, we've got to be able to have that mentality and move forward with it."
 
GAME NOTES
• Canisius outshot Mercyhurst by a 35-28 margin for the contest, highlighted by a 21-14 edge during the second half.
• The Griffs were 1-for-5 in man-up situations while the Lakers were 1-for-6 with the extra attacker.
• Both teams struggled to hold onto the ball Tuesday at the Griffs were charged with 25 turnovers while the Lakers finished with 20 miscues. 
• Simard notched multiple goals in a game for the first time in his career with his two-goal performance.
• Hanson finished with double-digit face-off wins for the first time this season and the 15th time since the start of the 2025 season with his 14 wins on Tuesday.
• Hanson also recorded seven-or-more ground balls for the first time in 2026 and 12th time since the start of his junior campaign.
• Redshirt sophomore Ben McGrath scooped up four-or-more ground balls for the second straight contest as his finished with four ground balls on Tuesday.
  
UP NEXT
Canisius opens the home portion of its 2026 schedule Friday with non-conference contest against Robert Morris.
 
Start time for the matchup between the Griffs and Colonials is slated for 3 p.m. at the Demske Sports Complex.
 
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