27 April 2018
Women's lax to host Niagara to open MAAC Tournament
Bryar Cummings scored twice for Canisius in the 15-10 win over Niagara.
By Sam Brouwere
Senior Sports Reporter
The Griffs will host the Niagara Purple Eagles in the opening round of the MAAC Tournament this Saturday at 7 p.m. Canisius will share the MAAC regular season title with Marist, Monmouth and Fairfield, but because of tiebreakers the Griffs finished fourth out of the group and will be playing the fifthseeded Purple Eagles. The Griffs edged out the Purple Eagles on Wednesday, 15-10, in an important game that allows them to host the Purple Eagles in the first round game, rather than going on the road. “It was a big game for us,” head coach Allison Daley said. “The weather conditions weren’t ideal, but it was nice to see our team battle through that and really stay focused on our stick work and the fundamentals of the game. It was an exciting win for us and was an opportunity for us to improve from the game against Fairfield on Saturday.” Sophomore Rachel Ryan and senior Jen Reininger helped the lead the Griffs to victory by scoring five goals apiece. Junior Jourdan Roemer and sophomore Bryar Cummings both scored twice, and senior Lauren Smolensky scored as well. Senior goalkeeper Rebecca Van Laken made 13 saves. Playing the Purple Eagles in an important game especially after playing them three days earlier is definitely an advantage for the Griffs. “It’s certainly a quick turnaround for us by playing the same team,” Daley said. “It will be nice because we can really focus on ourselves, watch the film and make some adjustments. We
Marshall Haim/ The Griffin
can also make some improvements on ourselves and tweak our game plan a little bit to have a couple different looks moving forward. I think it gives us a good opportunity because it is the same opponent and we can focus on ourselves to get better.” The Griffs have had success in the MAAC Tournament in previous years, winning the tournament six of the last seven years. Even though they are only the No. 4 seed, they still should have confidence going into the tournament because of their historic success. It is the lowest seed for Canisius in MAAC tournament history. Also, the Griffs have many players that have been very productive to this point. Roemer leads the team with 68 points (44 goals, 24 assists) and Reininger is in second place with 50 points (41 goals, nine assists). “I think confidence is going to be huge on Saturday,” Daley said. “Although the championship round won’t be at home and it’s only the first round, our girls are comfortable playing at home. We’ve been home the last three tournaments so I think they’re excited to play at home.” If the Griffs defeat the Purple Eagles on Saturday, they will travel to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. next Friday to either play first-seeded Marist or second-seeded Monmouth. This all will depend on the result of the game between third-seeded Fairfield and sixth-seeded Iona. They are heading into the tournament with the right mindset of worrying about the team that is currently in front of them and take it one day at a time. “We gotta take it one day at a time and get through Niagara first,” Daley said. @SamBrouwere brouwers@canisius.edu
Named Coach of the Year for fourth straight season Hemer: continued from back
points per game while shooting at a 40.1 clip from the field and 31.5 percent from three-point range. His teams were also well known for their presence underneath the basket averaging 43.2 rebounds per contest. He is a five-time SUNYAC Coach of the Year, first earning the honor in 2011. Hemer has been named the SUNYAC Coach of the Year each of the last four seasons. "Scott Hemer is a proven head coach who has developed winning programs at each stop of his coaching career and I am excited that he will be leading our women's basketball team," Maher stated in a press release. "Scott's commitment to developing
student-athletes and his experience building programs make him the right person to lead Canisius women's basketball, and I look forward to working with him to bring our program back to a championship level." The North Collins, N.Y. native and St. Bonaventure graduate takes over for Terry Zeh, who spent 14 years at the helm of the program. Zeh's contract was not renewed after a 10-21 overall record last season with an 8-12 record inside Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play for the third consecutive year. Canisius is looking for their first winning record since the 2008-09 season. @mhaim1934 haimm@canisius.edu
Sports 9
Griffs clinch spot in MAAC Tourney
By Nolan Hopkins
Assistant Sports Editor
The men’s lacrosse team clinched a spot in the conference tournament with their win over Manhattan last Friday, 19-11. The Griffs came into the contest losers of their last three games, but quickly swung momentum in their favor as they scored three goals within the first eight minutes of action. Ryan McKee, Reece Eddy and Keith Pravato all scored to give their team the advantage, 3-0. For the remaining seven minutes of the first quarter, the teams traded goals. McKee scored his second goal of the game, and Mathieu Boissonneault and Carter Stefaniak eached chipped in a goal of their own to give the Blue and Gold the lead after first quarter, 6-2. The squad would extend their four-goal lead in the second quarter, as they found the back of the net three more times in the period. McKee tallied his third goal of the game with just 10:29 left to play in the quarter, and Boissonneault quickly followed that up with his second goal of the game 24 seconds later. The Jaspers would get two goals back in the quarter, but the Griffs held the advantage heading into halftime, 9-4. Canisius dug Manhattan into an even bigger hole in the third quarter, as they outscored the Jaspers, 5-3. Stefaniak and Steven Coss scored each recorded a goal to open the half before Manhattan would score a goal with just under eight minutes remaining in the quarter. Over the next three minutes of game action, the Griffs scored three goals, giving them a ninegoal advantage, 14-5, which was their largest lead of the game to that point. However, Manhattan would score two goals before the close of the quarter, including a goal with just four seconds remaining in the period, which trimmed the Canisius lead, 14-7. The Blue and Gold put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter, as a 4-2 run over
Saturday, April 21 Fairfield 11, Canisius 8 Iona 12, Marist 11 Monmouth 13, Siena 12 Niagara 15, Quinnipiac 11 Wednesday, April 25 Canisius 15, Niagara 10 Monmouth 16, Iona 11 Marist 19, Siena 7 Fairfield 14, Manhattan 9 END OF REGULAR SEASON
Stags 11, Griffs 8 Fairfield Canisius
remotely close to an issue with me. Hemer has earned 365 career wins in 17 collegiate seasons. He knows the game well and that has aided his teams to seven 20-win seasons in the last eight seasons. “I think it's important to understand that the basketball is the same size and the court is the same size and it's still spacing and matchups and fundamentals, nothing changes in terms of that,” Hemer said regarding the move from Division III to Division I. “Is there a difference in size, length, athleticism? Certainly and we will make adjustments that are necessary. “I believe the way we play has ultimately put my teams in the past in positions to be competitive and win games and that's not going to change moving forward. Recruiting is recruiting. It is something that you're either effective at or you're not and it doesn't change because someone is taller, faster or stronger.” He also has a solid group of returning players to next year's roster as of right now, including soon-to-be senior Sara Hinriksdóttir who led the team in scoring (14.9), rebounds (5.6) and assists
8 2
4 — 12 5 — 7
Goals-Assists—Fairfield (Connolly 2-4, Hulseman 1-0, Horning 3-1, Mitchell 2-0, DeVita 3-1), Canisius (Reininger 2-0, Smolensky 1-2, Stewart 2-1, Roemer 1-0, Cummings 2-0). Goalies (shotssaves)—DiFatta, Fairfield (20-12), VanLaeken, Canisius (21-10). Draw Controls—Fairfield 9-20, Canisius 11-20. Free Position Shots—Fairfield 2-5; Canisius 2-4. T—2:08. A—412.
Griffs 15, Purple Eagles 10 Canisius Niagara
Mathieu Boissonneault scored three times in the win over Manhattan.
the first 10 minutes of the quarter effectively ended any chance of a comeback. Both squad’s traded blows over the final five minutes of the contest, with the Griffs earning the wire-to-wire victory, 19-11. In addition to McKee’s three goals, Boissonneault and Stefaniak also contributed three goals apiece, while Coss, Connor Kearnan and Mario Caito each scored two goals of their own. Ten different players scored in the contest. Mark Miyashita, in his first year at the helm of the men’s lacrosse team, ensured his squad a spot in the MAAC Tournament taking place May 3 at Monmouth with the win over Manhattan. “There’s nothing we’ve done as coaches that’s been anything crazy, they’re the ones out there playing,” Miyashita said in regard to making the tournament in his first year as head coach. “It’s the guys who are putting the long hours in, conditioning, lifting and then the practice and the film.
Efficiency is key with Hemer's teams Wing: continued from back
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
MAAC Overall Team W L PCT W L PCT Str. x-Marist 6 2 .750 10 6 .625 W1 x-Monmouth 6 2 .750 8 9 .471 W3 x-Fairfield 6 2 .750 10 6 .625 W3 x-Canisius 6 2 .750 9 8 .529 W1 x-Niagara 5 3 .625 8 9 .471 L1 x-Iona 3 5 .375 8 9 .471 L1 Manhattan 2 6 .250 5 11 .313 L2 Siena 1 7 .125 5 12 .294 L2 Quinnipiac 1 7 .125 5 11 .313 L6 x-Clinched spot in MAAC Championship
(2.3) this past season, earning third team honors from the MAAC. Maria Welch, Anna Sweny and Olivia Vernon will most likely make up the Griffs' frontcourt. Tiana Pugh and Danielle Sanderlin could have breakout years at the forward positions after strong finishes to their sophomore and freshman years, respectively. Hemer said that his teams are pretty efficient and are not out of control. They look for high-percentage shots and trust one another with the extra pass. All of those aspects appear to be something that the players on the current roster can thrive under. “You try to play with what your strengths are and that can change from year-to-year based on what the talent level is and skill set of the players that you have,” Hemer said. “I think the one thing that we've done really well is create a culture in our program where the players trust each other. It's not ever about one player.” With the players that Hemer is currently being inherited with, this could make for an extremely exciting year ahead for the Canisius women's basketball. @mhaim1934 haimm@canisius.edu
Tom Wolf/ Canisius College
I think it’s just a testament to the hard work that the guys have put in and I’m happy for them first and foremost.” The stage is now set for an important regular season finale against Monmouth. Both squads currently have a 3-2 record in the conference. If the Griffs beat the Hawks, they would find themselves as the No. 3 seed in the MAAC Tournament, playing Detroit Mercy. A loss would mean they will fall to the No. 4 seed and would face topseeded Quinnipiac in the first round. Faceoff against Monmouth is set for 4 p.m. today at Demske Sports Complex, with the game also being broadcasted on ESPNU. “I think it is going to be an exciting day, we’re looking forward to hopefully packing the bleachers and giving a good show,” Miyashita said. @nohop33 hopkin13@canisius.edu
8 7 — 15 4 6 — 10
Goals-Assists—Canisius (Reininger 5-0, Smolensky 1-1, Ryan 5-0, Roemer 2-4, Cummings 2-1), Niagara (Morales 1-1, D'Hont 2-0, Swartwout 1-0, MacCheyne 1-2, Hunt 1-0, Crump 3-1, Molodetz 1-1). Goalies (shots-saves)— VanLaeken, Canisius (23-13); Schroeder, Niagara (8-2), DeVeau, Niagara (11-2). Draw Controls—Canisius 14-26, Niagara 12-26. Free Position Shots— Canisius 5-7; Niagara 2-7. T—2:05. A—550.
MEN'S LACROSSE
MAAC Overall Team W L PCT W L PCT Str. x-Quinnipiac 4 0 1.000 7 5 .545 W3 x-DetroitMercy 4 1 .800 6 6 .500 W2 x-Monmouth 3 1 .750 6 6 .500 W2 x-Canisius 2 2 .500 5 7 .417 L3 Marist 2 3 .400 3 11 .214 L2 Manhattan 0 4 .000 4 8 .333 L2 Siena 0 4 .000 2 8 .200 L8 x-Clinched spot in MAAC Championship Friday, April 20 Canisius 19, Manhattan 11 Quinnipiac 10, Monmouth 9 Detroit Mercy 14, Siena 8 Friday, April 27 Monmouth at Canisius, 4:00 Siena at Manhattan, 7:00 Saturday, April 28 Quinnipiac at Marist, 1:00 Cleveland State at Detroit Mercy, 1:00
Griffs 19, Jaspers 11 Manhattan Canisius
2 6
2 3 4 — 11 3 5 5 — 19
Goals-Assists—Manhattan (Giarratana 1-2, Pelletier 1-1, Grinnell 1-0, Scharf 0-1, Hanson 2-3, Gregory 1-0, Sammaro 0-1, Gresham 1-0, Ratchford 1-0, Malpica 2-0, Johnson 1-0), Canisius (Stefaniak 3-2, McKee 3-0, Coss 2-3, Garlent 1-1, Boissonneault 3-1, Kearnan 2-2, Caito 2-0, Filson 1-0, Pravato 1-0, Oakes 0-1, Eddy 1-1). Goalies (shotssaves)—Zingaro, Manhattan (31-12); Ganzhorn, Canisius (15-6), Zacher, Canisius (2-0). Faceoffs—Manhattan 18-33, Canisius 15-33. Extra man opportunities—Manhattan 2-3; Canisius 0-0. Penalties-Minutes—Manhattan 0-0; Canisius 3-2:00. T—2:06. A—286.
Varsity four shell finishes first at Jim Schabb Regatta
By Mike Pesarchick Copy Editor
Canisius’ women’s rowing team was back in action Saturday, competing in the annual Jim Schabb Regatta on Tonawanda Creek in Tonawanda. Fourteen clubs competed in the regatta. The Griffs had some of their best finishes of the season as a varsity four shell, crewed by Gianna Ortolani, Andrea Kraft, Anezka Krobot, Bridget Brogan and Sara Ruszczyk, took first place in both the first heat and the finals, placing in front of the University at Buffalo and SUNY Oswego. Official race times were unavailable; the race had been moved from Buffalo’s Black Rock Canal to Tonawanda Creek due to ice buildup.
Later, Misa Gamble, Max McGuire, Sydney Bichsel, Brooke Stanley, Tara Federow, Shannon Pritzker, Jessica Fabian, Emma Vicaretti and Alexandra Heinz placed second in their varsity eight heat, placing in front of Oswego, but did not qualify for the finals. The second Canisius varsity eight shell, commanded by Grace Horner, Mackenzie App, Bridget Lillis, Cat Gallagher, Audrey Rieman, Madeline Kurka, Patricia Beaulieu, Michelle Turner and Melissa Frank did advance to the finals, finishing behind a pair of Rochester Institute of Technology’s shells. Canisius hosts the Black Rock Cup this Sunday at the West Side Rowing Club. @mikepesar pesarchm@canisius.edu