The Canisius College men's lacrosse team won its third-straight contest, defeating host Saint Joseph's on Saturday afternoon, 7-6. With the win, the Griffs improved to 3-0 in the MAAC and remained tied atop the standings with Providence. The Hawks suffered their first loss in conference play and now stand at 2-1.

Freshman Adam Jones (Owen Sound, Ontario) tallied his fourth hat trick of the season, scoring three goals to lead the Griffs in victory. Senior Tom Hensel (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) and freshman Nick LoCoco (Cicero, N.Y.) each recorded three points on a goal and a pair of assists, while senior Michael Blocho (Grand Island, N.Y.) netted two scores.

Sophomore Chris Courteau (West Seneca, N.Y.) once again led a strong Griffs' defensive showing, posting 10 saves in net. Junior defender Mark Leonard (Syracuse, N.Y.) picked up a career-best six ground balls and added three caused turnovers.

The Griffs (3-3) came out firing in the first period, opening a 4-0 lead. LoCoco notched the first goal of the game 1:27 into the contest and Blocho, Jones and Hensel all followed with scores of their own. The two teams traded goals to start the second period to give Canisius a 5-1 lead. However, the Hawks' Steve Vargas would net the game's next three goals, one at the end of the second period and the only two scores in the third frame, as the two teams headed into the final period of play with Canisius holding a slight 5-4 advantage.

After a scoreless third period, Jones scored two goals to give Canisius a three-goal advantage. The freshman tallied his team-leading 13th goal of the season 39 seconds into the fourth quarter and added another score with 7:43 left in the game to give Canisius a 7-4 lead. The Hawks responded with two scores to pull within one but could not get the equalizer past Courteau. The senior recorded four saves in the final frame, including two in the final minute of play.

The Griffs return to action next on Saturday, April 5, with a home contest against Marist. Game time at the Demske Sports Complex is set for 11 a.m.

Game Notes: The Griffs started 3-0 in conference play for the third time in school history, joining the 2004 and 2007 squads … Canisius' three-consecutive wins is one shy of the school record … Blocho is now five points shy of becoming the 14th Griff to record 100 career points … Saint Joseph's eliminated Canisius from the MAAC Tournament last season, defeating the Griffs, 10-9.

2008-03-29