Late Surge Sparks Men's Lacrosse to Win Versus Vikings Canisius scored twice in the final 1:56 of regulation to erase a one-goal deficit and defeat Cleveland State, 12-11, in collegiate men's lacrosse action Sunday at the Demske Sports Complex. Sophomore Mathieu Boissonneault scored the game-tying goal with less than two minutes remaining in regulation before Carter Stefaniak tallied the game winner just 79 seconds later to lead the Golden Griffins (3-1) to their third straight come-from-behind victory. Senior Connor Kearnan recorded his second hat trick of the season and fellow senior Ryan McKee turned in a four-point outing with two goals and two assists. Senior Steven Coss notched one goal and dished out a game-high three assists while Stefaniak finished with a goal and two assists. Michael Wilson scored two goals and added two assists while Jack Frickleton finished with two goals and one assist to pace the Vikings (1-6). Trailing 11-10 late in the fourth quarter, Boissonneault brought Canisius level with his second of the contest as he buried a feed from Stefaniak with 1:56 remaining to tie the game at 11-all. Stefaniak delivered the go-ahead goal for the Griffs on the ensuing possession, beating Cleveland State keeper Stephen Russo with a shot to the short side to give the Griffs the 12-11 lead with 37 seconds to play. Stefaniak's goal would be the final tally of the contest as the teams traded possession until the final buzzer, giving Canisius the one-goal victory. Earlier in the contest, back-to-back goals from Kearnan and sophomore Reece Eddy gave the Griffs a 2-1 lead, only to see Cleveland State rattle off four unanswered during a 6:54 span to build a 5-2 cushion. The Griffs responded to the Vikings surge, using goals from Coss and McKee just 83 seconds apart to ignite a 5-1 run that was capped by Stefaniak's first of the game one minute into the third quarter to put Canisius back in front, 7-6. It would become a back-and-forth affair from there as neither team led by more than single goal the rest of the way. With the score knotted at 10-10 and less than four minutes to play in the fourth, Nick Wendel struck for his first of the contest to put Cleveland State in front, 11-10, and set up the Griffs' late comeback. Senior Liam Ganzhorn stopped eight shots in goal for Canisius. Russo recorded 14 stops between the pipes for Cleveland State. Head Coach Mark Miyashita Postgame Comments "We're coming together as a team and learning how to play through the ups and downs of a full 60-minute game. Credit to our guys; they were calm and composed throughout and we were able to get that last possession and get a shot off to win. "You look at (Mathieu) Boissonneault, he was a long-stick midfielder until Christmas-time and we came back and thought about making a position switch with him because he has got some great hands with his box experience. He's really come into his own in that spot on the attack. He is a great third option for us. You look at Carter (Stefaniak), who as a sophomore has taken a big step forward from his freshman year. It's about everyone chipping in. We know that Connor (Kearnan) is going to be marked the way he is given his preseason stature and that goes for (Steven) Coss and Ryan (McKee) as well. The big thing is getting that secondary scoring that maybe has not been there and these guys are making the most of their opportunities. "We had to change tactics with Cleveland State holding onto the ball a little bit longer and taking the air out of it, so to speak. That's a credit to our defense for playing hard and doing a great job on the back end to get us that ball back and then we were able to be smart with our possessions and play a little bit slower and have some longer looks. It's nice to know we can switch strategies midgame and have the personal that can adapt to what's necessary in any game situation." Game Notes • Sunday's contest served as the second meeting between Canisius and Cleveland State. The Griffs have won both matchups. • The victory was Canisius' second one-goal victory in as many contests as it moved to 2-1 in one-goal games in 2018. • Cleveland State held a 36-35 advantage in shots taken during the contest while Canisius posted a 26-19 edge in shots on goal. • Senior Connor Kearnan recorded his second hat trick of the season and the 15th of his career. Kearnan also moved into a tie with Nick LoCoco (2008-11) and Jeff Edwards (2014-17) for 13th place on the program's career scoring list (121). • Senior Steven Coss posted a career-high three assists during Sunday's contest. • Freshman Mike Carbone recorded his first career goal with his goal at the 2:19 mark of the second quarter. • Sophomore Reece Eddy tallied his second goal of the season and chipped in team highs of three caused turnovers and five ground balls. Up Next Canisius returns to action March 17 with 1 p.m. contest against Colgate at Andy Kerr Stadium in Hamilton, N.Y.