ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Since the St. Bonaventure men's lacrosse program entered the Division I ranks in 2019, the Little Three rivalry series between the Bonnies and Canisius has had its share of moments.
Just one year after winning on a regulation buzzer beater in Buffalo, the Bonnies added another dramatic chapter to the 716 rivalry as Onenioteko:wa Maracle netted the game-winning goal 2:20 into overtime to send Bona's to an 11-10 victory at the Marra Athletics Complex.
Cole Kucinski (2G-1A) and Jaxon Dillon (2G-1A) each accounted for three points in the winning effort while Blake Maracle (1G-1A), Patrick Shanahan (2G), Chris Lawrence (2G) and Jonas Johnson (2A) all registered two points apiece for the Bonnies (4-4).
Lawrence got the hosts started early with a goal on the opening possession, spinning around Canisius defenders before burying a shot from low to high as the shot clock wound down.
The Bonnies made a stop on the next possession which they parlayed into a Kucinski goal, working the ball around the offensive zone before the sophomore found space and fired.
After a Canisius fast-break goal cut the SBU lead in half nearly four minutes later, Kucinski stepped up once again, causing a turnover and sending the ball downfield to set up the offense. Dillon capitalized with a third score for the hosts coming off a timely pass from redshirt sophomore John Boomer.
Though the visitors were able to find a second score late in the opening quarter, Shanahan brought Bonaventure's tally to four with an unassisted score in the final minutes before the buzzer.
Canisius won the initial faceoff of the second quarter and capitalized as Quinn Huber drew the Golden Griffins within one with a solo dodge and goal.
Senior Blake Maracle found classmate Patrick Carpenter for a goal coming out of a Bona timeout, shifting the score to 5-3 in favor of the hosts with 13 minutes to play in the half.
After a few minutes of back-and-forth turnovers and runs downfield, Kucinski found himself taking the ball into play from X after chasing a missed shot. As he dodged to the net while being harassed by Canisius defenders, he found a cutting Lawrence who caught the pass and fired for Bona's sixth and final goal of the first half.
The visitors would not go into the break quietly as they fought and clawed for openings throughout the remainder of the half. That persistence eventually paid off with two goals both coming with under three minutes to go, changing the tide of the game and cutting the SBU lead to just one at a score of 6-5.
Though they had to battle through seven minutes of scoreless lacrosse to open the second half, the Golden Griffins eventually kept their rally alive with a game-tying goal courtesy of Kaiden Libby.
Bona found an answer when Blake Maracle planted himself behind the back post of the net where freshman Jonas Johnson found him for a goal, putting the Bonnies back in front by a score of 7-6 and closing the third quarter scoring.
The roller-coaster ride continued early in the fourth quarter as Canisius again tied the game with a transition score, but the Bonnies responded within the next minute as Johnson completed a pass to Dillon in open space, who fired on net and buried an eighth goal for the hosts.
Sticking with the theme of the game, the two programs then traded pairs of goals resulting in late lead changes. The Golden Griffins found their scores first, which both came within two minutes of each other and propelled the team to a 9-8 lead with seven and a half minutes to play.
Harper won the next faceoff and got the offense started, which led to another Kucinski dodge from behind the net. This time, the sophomore did it all by himself, barging through defenders before sending a shot through the top-left corner to tie the game. Just two minutes later, Shanahan scored unassisted to reclaim the SBU advantage at a mark of 10-9.
Unfortunately for the Bonaventure sideline, Canisius had possession in the final minute of regulation and capitalized. After working the ball around the horn and firing unsuccessful attempts on net, head coach Mark Miyashita called a timeout in hopes to run a set piece. Coming out of the stoppage, Huber found open space again and sent a missile toward Bonaventure goalie Isaac Farmer, finding nylon and tying the game at 10 goals each with just 11 seconds to play.
Canisius (2-5) won the first faceoff of overtime, but Farmer made his 11th save of the night to set the stage for the game-winning sequence.
Owen Tasse (four caused turnovers, three groundballs), Kaeden Burger (3 CT-2 GB) and Aaron Eberhard (2 CT-4 GB) all had strong games defensively.
Peter Biglin finished with a hat trick for Canisius to power the Griffs attack while goalie Mark Matott made 12 saves.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH BRENDAN STORRIER
"It was our first Bona's vs. Canisius experience as a staff and it did not disappoint. I'm happy for our guys to win this rivalry game. We had a bunch of guys step up today;
Connor Ballou, Justin McFaul,
Jake Patrei and
Jonas Johnson. We had two huge plays in overtime with a big save by
Isaac Farmer and the game-winner by captainÂ
Onenioteko:wa Maracle."
GAME NOTES
- Tuesday marked SBU's first overtime game against Canisius in program history in the eighth matchup at the D-I level. SBU now stands 5-3 overall in the series with five of the eight games being decided by three goals or fewer.
- Senior Patrick Carpenter netted his first goal since Feb. 24, 2024 at VMI.
- The Bonnies held a 42-33 shots edge and posted 38 groundballs to 29 for Canisius. Turnovers were an issue for both sides, thanks in part to a rainy first half as Canisius finished with 26 turnovers to SBU's 25.
- Burger set a single-game career high for caused turnovers.
- Lad Harper went 9-for-19 in faceoffs with six groundballs while Jeremy Askin went 4-for-5 with three groundballs.
- The Bonnies were on the smiling side of an overtime decision just days after dropping an overtime contest at Cleveland State this past Saturday. SBU improved to 3-4 all-time in overtime games.
UP NEXT
St. Bonaventure opens Atlantic 10 play by traveling to No. 20 Saint Joseph's Saturday at noon in Philadelphia.
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