GENEVA, N.Y.-In its final home game of the season, the Hobart lacrosse team made short work of visiting Canisius, scoring the first seven goals of the night on the way to a 17-6 non-conference victory. First-year faceoff specialist Bobby Dattilo led the charge, winning 17 of 26 at the X and collecting a game and career-high eight ground balls.

The Statesmen (7-5) left little doubt that they'd remain undefeated against the Griffins (now 10-0 all-time), racing out to a 4-0 lead after 15 minutes. Junior Tyler Cassell, sophomore Tim Bigelow, sophomore Mike White, and first-year Chris Pedersen accounted for the goals, while junior goalie Max Silberlicht posted his fifth first quarter shutout of the season with five saves. He finished the night with 11 stops in 53:33, while sophomore Evan Kirk saved both shots he faced over the final 6:27.

Midway through the second frame, junior Kevin Curtin sandwiched a pair of goals around a Pedersen score to stretch Hobart's lead to 7-0. The tallies came less than two minutes apart.

Canisius (4-8) broke up the shutout with 5:46 remaining in the first half on first-year Jimmy Haney's extra-man goal and headed into halftime trailing 7-2 after sophomore Adam Jones scored man-down with 2:57 to go.

The Statesmen scored six times in the third quarter, doubling up the Griffins, for a 13-5 lead heading into the final 15. Hobart struck for four of the first five goals of the half, including tallies by juniors Daniel Keegan and Doug Shiver, for an 11-3 edge, but sophomore Tom Vivian and Jones strung together consecutive goals to keep Canisius within striking distance at 11-5. Colburn and senior Sam Orr scored 30 seconds apart in the final minute of the third to kickoff a 6-1 finishing run for the Statesmen.

All night long, Hobart displayed unselfish passing, earning assists on 13 of the team's 17 goals. Curtin and Pedersen paced the Statesmen with matching five-point performances (2-3). Colburn (2-1), White (2-1), and senior Matt Smalley (1-2) each added three points, while Cassell (2-0), Shiver (2-0), and junior Mike Lazore (1-1) chipped in two points apiece.

Canisius got two-point efforts from Haney (1-1), Jones (2-0), and junior Mike Benzinger (1-1). Senior goalie Bryan Jack made six saves in 45 minutes, while first-year Kerry Freeburg stopped three in the fourth quarter.

Hobart will close out its ECAC slate on April 25, when the Statesmen head to Baltimore to face Loyola. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

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The Canisius College men's lacrosse team dropped a 17-6 decision to host Hobart on Tuesday night. With the loss, the Griffs are now 4-8 on the season, while the Statesmen improve to 7-5.

Sophomore Adam Jones (Owen Sound, Ontario) scored two goals to lead the Griffs offense, while sophomore Mike Benzinger (Buffalo, N.Y.) and freshman Jimmy Haney (Cicero, N.Y.) also recorded two points for Canisius, registering a goal and an assist. Senior Justin Rychlicki (Boston, N.Y.) and sophomore Tom Vivian (Buffalo, N.Y.) both added a goal for the Griffs.

Senior Bryan Jack (Pickerington, Ohio) and freshman Kerry Freeburg (Buffalo, N.Y.) split time in goal for Canisius. Jack stopped six shots in the first three quarters of play, while Freeburg made three saves appearing in his first collegiate game.

The Statesmen scored 1:50 into the contest and never looked back. Hobart tallied the first seven goals of the game before Haney notched a man-up goal with 5:46 remaining in the second period. Jones followed with a man-down score as Hobart claimed a 7-2 halftime lead.

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2009-04-22