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The Canisius Golden Griffins are the 43rd team in our 2020 men’s college lacrosse schedule preview series and the fourth team from the MAAC. Canisius finished 8-8 overall in 2019 and 4-3 in MAAC play. The Golden Griffins lost to Marist in the MAAC semifinals.
Here’s their entire 2020 schedule:
Canisius’ 2020 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
| 2/8 | Canisius | Hobart | |
| 2/15 | Canisius | Robert Morris | At Pinnacle Athletic Complex (In Victor, NY) |
| 2/18 | Canisius | Michigan | First meeting since 2015 |
| 2/22 | Canisius | Hartford | |
| 3/8 | Canisius | Air Force | |
| 3/14 | Manhattan | Canisius | MAAC |
| 3/17 | Canisius | Bucknell | First meeting since 2011 |
| 3/21 | St. Bonaventure | Canisius | MAAC |
| 3/24 | Cleveland State | Canisius | |
| 3/28 | Canisius | Marist | MAAC |
| 4/4 | Detroit Mercy | Canisius | MAAC |
| 4/11 | Canisius | Quinnipiac | MAAC |
| 4/17 | Monmouth | Canisius | MAAC |
| 4/25 | Canisius | Siena | MAAC |
Who’s In?
- Michigan Wolverines (2/18)
- Bucknell Bison (3/17)
Who’s Out?
- Mercer Bears (13-10 W)
- Furman Paladins (12-10 L)
- Colgate Raiders (8-6 W)
Canisius’ Opponents 2019 Average Win Percentage & RPI
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
| .460 | .485 | .435 | 45.43 | 36.86 | 54 |
Circle These Dates
- 2/18 at Michigan: Canisius has not had any luck against Big Ten teams from Michigan. The Golden Griffins have played the Wolverines just once back in 2015, which was a 13-5 loss. And between 1990-1996, Canisius lost all seven meetings with Michigan State when they had a varsity program. The Wolverines will be eager to get a win after a disappointing 2019 campaign.
- 2/22 at Hartford: Lacrosse can be a game of runs, and last year’s game against the Hawks was the perfect example of that saying. After Canisius opened up on a 4-0 run, Hartford responded with a 7-0 run. But the Golden Griffins came back by scoring 10 of the next 11 goals, including eight straight, to take a commanding 14-8 lead. But the Hawks scored four straight to being the fourth quarter to cut the Canisius lead to two before Ryan Cicci and Mathieu Boissonneault put the game away.
- 3/14 vs. Manhattan: One of the bigger surprises in the college lacrosse season came in mid-April when the Jaspers upset the Golden Griffins to snap a 12-game losing skid to Canisius. Manhattan loses leading goal scorer Parker Giarratana, but does return leading point getter Luke Hanson and goalie Brandon Krebs.
- 3/28 at Marist: The Golden Griffins had to play Marist twice in a span of six days last season as the Red Foxes also ended Canisius’ 2020 year. At home in the regular season finale, Marist used a 5-0 run in the second half to take a four-goal lead and hold on for the two-goal win. Peyton Smith won all but four faceoffs in the meeting. In the MAAC semifinals in Poughkeepsie, the Red Foxes used another run, this time of four goals, to capture the lead and play solid defense to edge Canisius by a goal. Marist’s offense pretty much returns everybody, but the Red Foxes lose all three starting defensemen as well as a short stick midfielder.
- 4/25 at Siena: What could end up being a win-and-in scenario for the regular season finale between these two teams. The Saints won last year’s meeting by a goal thanks to a 4-0 run and holding the Golden Griffins off late. Siena then lost their next four conference games after starting 3-0 and missed out on the MAAC Tournament. Head coach Liam Gleason has what it takes to get to the conference tournament and even take home the conference crown in 2020.