By: Connor Pohlman
The Canisius Golden Griffins (1–5) were plagued by a late-game collapse against the Cleveland State Vikings (1–3) last Sunday at the Demske Sports Complex. The game was tied at nine in the final minutes, but Canisius gave up three straight unanswered goals to have the win narrowly escape them.
Canisius jumped out to an early 4–0 lead, thanks to goals from Colin Kelly, Keegan Kozack and a pair of tallies from Hunter Parucki in the opening 7:50 of the contest.
The Griffs carried their lead into the second quarter, only to see CSU open the frame with four unanswered goals to tie the game. Kozack halted the Vikings’ run as he closed out first-half scoring with 1:53 remaining to give the Griffs a 5–4 edge heading into the locker room.
The teams traded goals until eventually the Vikings ignited the four-goal spurt that gave them their first lead of the game, 9–7, early in the fourth.
Canisius responded, as junior Nathan Conry and Buck struck for back-to-back goals little more than two minutes apart to tie the game at 9–9, setting the stage for CSU's decisive spurt.
“We had more than enough chances offensively when you look at the shots,” head coach Mark Miyashita said. “We just didn't make enough plays in the fourth quarter when it counted.”
The Canisius Golden Griffins had a chance to rebound from their loss on Sunday, when they traveled to Robert Morris on Wednesday, but they did not do so. The Golden Griffins fell short against the Robert Morris Colonials (2–3) losing the game 23–6.
Robert Morris never trailed in the contest, racing out to an early 7–0 lead in the game's opening nine minutes. Canisius was down at the end of the first 9–2, and then 17–3 going into the half. The Golden Griffins just couldn’t get back in a competitive bout against Robert Morris after their slow starts.
“We came out with a poor attitude and a poor effort in the first quarter, and that set the tone for the rest of the game,” Miyashita said. “We have to do some deep soul searching here to get ourselves right, both as individuals and as a group, knowing that we've got conference play starting next week.”
Redshirt freshman Colin Kelly posted season highs with five goals and six points for the Golden Griffins. Sophomore Keegan Kozack accounted for the other Canisius goal.
The Griffs will look to get back on track when they host the Siena Saints at the Demske Sports Complex on March 20. The start time is slated for noon, and it will be the Griffins’ first MAAC conference-play action this year.