Senior Mario Caito and junior Mathieu Boissonneault recorded hat tricks and the Canisius defense allowed its fewest goals against in more than a decade to pace the Griffs in a 12-2 victory over Monmouth in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's lacrosse action Saturday at Hesse Field in West Long Branch, N.J. Caito and Boissonneault finished with three goals apiece to lead the Golden Griffins (5-4, 1-1 MAAC) attack. Senior Layne Collins and junior Carter Stefaniak pitched in two goals each while freshmen Jacob Buck and Jake Lemon added individual markers. That output would be ample support for senior goalie Brad Nordstrom as recorded 13 saves to anchor a Canisius defense that allowed its fewest goals against since an 11-2 victory over Manhattan in the semifinals of the 2008 MAAC Championship. Max Brooks and Anthony Sardo accounted for the two goals for the Hawks (1-7, 0-3 MAAC). Noah Lode made five saves between the pipes for Monmouth. Canisius controlled play from the start, using goals from Stefaniak and Caito and eight saves from Nordstrom to hold a 2-0 lead after one before continuing its dominance in the second quarter as Boissonneault, Caito and Lemon all found the back of the net to stretch the Griffs' advantage to 5-0 just past the midway point of the frame. Brooks finally got Monmouth on the board a little more than six minutes remaining before halftime to make it a 5-1 game at the break. Buck opened the second-half scoring at the 12:25 mark of the third quarter to restore Canisius' five-goal cushion, only to see Sardo respond just 76 seconds later to pull the Hawks back within four. The Griffs once again took control of the proceedings, with Caito answering Sardo's marker exactly one minute later and Stefaniak chipping in his second of the contest to stretch the Canisius margin to 8-2 after three. Collins opened the fourth-quarter scoring less than two minutes into the final frame before a pair of tallies a little more than two minutes apart from Boissonneault completed his hat trick and stretched the Canisius cushion to nine. Collins added his second of the frame with 4:56 remaining to determine the final margin. Head Coach Mark Miyashita's Postgame Comments "Any time you hold a team to two goals against you've got to be excited and thrilled about the effort, not only on the defensive end, but in all facets of the game. We did a good job on the faceoffs and ground balls. Our offensive guys took advantage when opportunities presented themselves to put the ball in the back of the net. We also did a really great job in our ride that caused them some confusion. It all flowed for us today because we got back on the game plan. We trusted what the game plan was and the guys were prepared. "Brad (Nordstrom) made some big saves early on as the team was settling into the game and the defense fed off of those saves, which allowed us to get to a comfort level as a team that let to us getting into a groove. It was awesome to see us come together as a team and compete for 60 minutes after an effort last week against Siena that was lackluster by our program standards. Every guy in the locker room will tell you that. "Our approach has been since we've gotten here is that we are a score-by-committee team. We want multiple guys chipping in a couple of goals and if it's one guy's day to have a few extra, then the next game it might be somebody else. There is not a lot of ego when it comes to sharing the ball out there. No one is worried about their stats. They just want to put the ball in the back of the net. It doesn't matter who is doing it." Game Notes • Canisius picked up its second win in six tries against Monmouth as it snapped a four-game losing skid to the Hawks with Saturday's victory. • The Griffs' have held each of their last four opponents to single-digit goals, the first time that it held five straight opponents to nine goals or less during the 2010 campaign. • Canisius out-shot Monmouth, 33-30, for the contest, holding a 29-18 edge in shot attempts over the final three quarters after the Hawks held a 12-4 edge in the first quarter. • The Griffs won 11-of-17 faceoffs on Saturday as junior Daniel Balawejder recorded double-digit faceoff wins for the seventh time this season. • Caito posted his third hat trick of the season and the fourth of his career with his three-goal effort on Saturday. • Boissonneault recorded his fourth hat trick of the season and the ninth of his career with his three-goal performance on Saturday. • Nordstrom recorded double-digit saves for the eighth time in nine contests this season as he finished with 13 saves. • With his two caused turnovers on Saturday, junior Holden Garlent surpassed former teammate Reece Eddy (2016-17) for second place on the program's career caused turnovers chart (46). Up Next • Canisius completes non-conference play April 2 with a matchup against Cleveland State. • Opening faceoff between the Griffs and the Vikings is set for 7 p.m. at Krentzler Field in Cleveland.