ST. BONAVENTURE (4-4) vs. CANISIUS (1-6) 
Tuesday, March 11 – 4 p.m. 
Buffalo, N.Y. 
TV: ESPN+ 

OPENING FACEOFF 
The St. Bonaventure men's lacrosse team will travel to the Demske Sports Complex on Tuesday to face Little Three rival Canisius. The Bonnies enter with an even 4-4 record and will look to pick up their third win in a row after victories over Mercer (3/6) and Cleveland State (3/8). The Golden Griffins had a six-game skid to start the year but picked up their first win of the season last time out against Sacred Heart (3/8). 

LAST TIME OUT 
St. Bonaventure got the best of Cleveland State in their most recent appearance, winning 8-6 in a back-and-forth contest. Senior Drew Kenney recorded his first career hat trick and caused a turnover, and fellow upperclassman Kyle Pepper added four points (1G-3A) and two groundballs. The Bonnies took control of the flow of the game, attempting 40 shots to the Vikings' 28. 

DEFENSIVE DISPLAY 
Throughout their two games last week, the Bonnies allowed just 11 goals overall, giving up six to Cleveland State and five to Mercer. In both second halves combined, the defense allowed only three goals. 

CLOSE CALLS 
SBU has been in many closely contested games this season, and they have had to fight hard down the stretch to win. Three of the team's wins have seen them separated on the scoreboard by two goals or less. The highlight of these victories came in dramatic fashion as Drew Kenney buried an overtime game-winner at Mount St. Mary's. They have also experienced the losing side, dropping heartbreakers against Le Moyne and preseason NEC favorite Robert Morris by one goal each. 

FAMILIAR FOES 
The series history between the Little Three rivals Bona and Canisius sits at an even 3-3, though the Bonnies got the best of the Griffs last season, 12-8. Aside from the shortened 2020 season, the Bonnies and Griffs have matched up every year since the Bonaventure program was launched at the Division I level in 2019. Additionally, prior to his arrival at SBU, head coach Randy Mearns led the Canisius lacrosse program for 19 years. In his time in Buffalo, Mearns led the squad to two MAAC Championships and NCAA Tournament berths in 2008 and 2012 on his way to 100 career wins with the program. 

STATISTICAL STANDOUTS 
Bona has enjoyed significant production from senior duo Conor Murphy and Kyle Pepper, who each have tallied 18 points. Murphy has netted 11 goals and given seven assists, while Pepper has put together and even nine and nine. Redshirt sophomores Owen Tasse and Cameron Viavada are tied for the team lead with nine groundballs each. 

FRESHMEN FACEOFF 
Two Bonaventure rookies have been impressive at the faceoff dot this season. Lad Harper has managed the majority of the load, winning 68 faceoffs, good for a 51 percent win rate, and scooping 37 groundballs. He was named an Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week earlier in the year. Additionally, Jeremy Askin has been successful in 16 tries, tallying a 62 percent win percentage.  

TRENDING NUMBERS 
2 – Five of Bonaventure's last six games have been decided by two goals or less. 

3 – Counting the team's two victories last week, the Bonnies will have played three games in six days following Tuesday's contest

19 – 19 different Bonnies have logged at least one point this season, and five of these players have reached double-digit totals. 

ABOUT CANISIUS 

• The Golden Griffins are coached by 2013 school Hall of Fame inductee Mark Miyashita in his eighth season with the program. He has led the program to 31 wins and 68 losses in his tenure. In his first season at the helm, the Griffs captured their third MAAC Championship in program history, and he has since led the team back to the conference title game twice. As a player under Coach Mearns, Miyashita appeared in 42 games throughout four seasons and finished his career ranked among the program's all-time leaders in points, assists, and goals as a three-time captain. 
• Sophomore attacker Mason Wolford leads the Griffs with 17 points (10G-7A) and has added eight groundballs.  
• Canisius primarily runs with senior Tommy Kunz between the posts, who has made 88 saves on the year. 
• Graduate student Jeff Douglas and junior Micah Hanson have enjoyed recent success, being named MAAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week and Faceoff Specialist of the Week on March 8th, respectively.