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Canisius University Athletics

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Canisius face-off specialist MIcah Hanson is shown running with the ball in game action versus Quinnipiac at the Demske Sports Complex on March 14, 2026
Jeff Kosloski/@photosjustbekos
9
Canisius CANISIUS 3-9, 2-4
13
Winner Merrimack MERRIMAC 5-8, 4-3
Canisius CANISIUS
3-9, 2-4
9
Final
13
Merrimack MERRIMAC
5-8, 4-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Canisius CANISIUS 2 4 2 1 9
Merrimack MERRIMAC 1 3 3 6 13

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

Men’s Lacrosse Unable to Keep Pace with Merrimack

Merrimack rattled off seven unanswered goals over a 15-minute span in the second half to erase a two-goal deficit and defeat Canisius, 13-9, in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's lacrosse action Saturday at Duane Stadium in North Andover, Mass.
 
Colin Kruger scored four goals and Dougherty Finn pitched in three for the Warriors (5-8, 4-3 MAAC). Casey Herod tallied a goal and two assists and Jaden Galfano made 12 stops between the pipes for the home team.  
 
Freshman Mike Belles notched a goal and two assists for the Golden Griffins (3-9, 2-4 MAAC). Redshirt sophomore Quinn Huber tallied two goals while senior Micah Hanson went 14-of-23 at the "X" with five ground balls as he surpassed the 700 face-off wins milestone for his career. Senior Alexis Simard recorded three caused turnovers and chipped in two ground balls.
 
Trailing 8-6 late in the third quarter, Jack Salva found the back of the net with 1:43 remaining in the frame to make it a one-goal game heading into the fourth.
 
The Warriors carried the momentum from Salva's tally into the final frame, scoring the first six goals of the fourth quarter to stretch their lead to 13-8 with just over two minutes remaining. Finn led the way for Merrimack during the seven-goal spurt, notching two tallies while five players chipped in one goal each.
 
Huber closed out the scoring with 81 seconds remaining to determine the final score.
 
The teams traded goals to open the contest before an even-strength marker from Christy with 6:02 to play in the first half sparked a three-goal eruption that spanned 34 seconds and gave the Griffs a 5-2 edge.
 
Merrimack countered Canisius' three-goal surge with two of the final three goals of the first half to make it a 6-4 contest at the break.
 
The start of the second half once again saw the two sides exchange blows as the Griffs opened the scoring in the third to regain their three-goal cushion, only to see Merrimack counter with a pair of tallies to make it a one-goal game. Senior Devin Collins found the back of the net with 3:22 to play in the third to give the Griffs an 8-6 lead, providing the setting for Merrimack's late-game surge.
 
POSTGAME COMMENTS
"We played well for nearly three quarters and executed our game plan. Unfortunately, towards the end of that third quarter and into the fourth, we completely imploded as a team. We couldn't make the simple plays and that allowed the run that Merrimack had gotten on to get to us mentally and physically. Hats off to Merrimack for the way they played. We've got to be able to mature and not buckle under that type of pressure.
 
"We need to be able to just focus on one day at a time. We've got to be more consistent again throughout the course of the week in our preparation so that come next Saturday, we put ourselves in a situation to win that game and keep ourselves in the conversation for postseason play. We can't think about winning two games. We must think about winning just one game. That comes down to how we're going to approach everything that we do, starting from this point forward into every single day when we wake up.
 
"It shows the ultimate competitor that Micah (Hanson) has been throughout the course of his career and the tenacity that he approaches the position and the role that he has on our team. Obviously, it's a great stat on an individual level, but I also know that he would trade however many face-offs he needs for us to be on the on the winning end of the score sheet at the end of the game."
 
GAME NOTES
• Merrimack outshot Canisius by a 34-29 margin for the contest, highlighted by a 13-5 advantage in the fourth quarter.
• Both teams were 0-for-1 in man-up situations on Saturday. Canisius has failed to score on the man-up in each of the last two games after converting with the extra attacker in eight of its first 10 games.
• Canisius committed 20-or-fewer turnovers for the third straight contest as it finished with 16 miscues on Saturday.
• Hanson became just the 39th player in Division I history to record 700 face-off wins in his career during the third quarter of Saturday's contest. He has amassed 704 face-off wins during his collegiate career.
• Simard tallied three caused turnovers during Saturday's contest to move into a tie with Holden Garlent for first place on the program's all-time caused turnovers list (55).
• Huber notched multiple goals in a game for the second straight game and fifth time this season with his two-goal performance on Saturday.
• Belles finished with a season-best three points as he dished out multiple assists in a game for the first time in his career on Saturday.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius plays its final road game of the regular season April 18 when it travels to Manhattan for a MAAC contest.
 
Start time for the conference matchup between the Griffs and Jaspers is slated for 11 a.m. at Gaelic Park in Riverdale, N.Y.
 
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