Men's Lacrosse | 3/9/2019 7:44:00 AM

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The Robert Morris men's lacrosse team hosts the Golden Griffins of Canisius College Saturday for its fifth consecutive non-conference game to begin the 2019 season. The opening faceoff from Joe Walton Stadium is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET, and admission is free, as is the livestream on NEC Front Row.

(RV)/(RV) Robert Morris (1-3) vs. Canisius (2-3)
Mar. 9 (6:00 p.m.) - LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS

This will be the fifth nighttime home game in team history, with RMU having prevailed in three of its first four. Furthermore, the Colonials have turned the tide in their long-standing rivalry with the Griffs.

Robert Morris has won seven meetings in a row since dropping the first five following the program's 2005 inception. The Colonials prevailed 11-9 in a seesaw battle at the Demske Complex Apr. 10, 2018 before shutting down host Canisius 12-6 in the NCAA Opening Round May 9, the first-ever NCAA Tournament victory by RMU.

Most recently, they are coming off a 16-15 double-overtime loss at No. 13/11 High Point, already the third nationally ranked opponent Robert Morris has faced, and all on the road.

SCOUTING CANISIUS

Air Force rattled off five unanswered goals to open the third quarter en route to a 13-7 victory over Canisius at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, New York last Saturday. Senior Layne Collins and junior Carter Stefaniak tallied two goals apiece for the Golden Griffins. Junior Holden Garlent and freshmen Jacob Buck and Isaiah Ricketts accounted for the other three Canisius tallies.

Stefaniak was a Preseason All-MAAC pick and one of three unanimous selections on the 13-player preseason team. He was All-MAAC First Team in 2018 after he finished the campaign second on the team in goals (36) and fourth on the squad in points (46). He also made the All-MAAC Tournament Team after leading the Griffs to the title. Stefaniak leads the team with 17 points and shares the team lead in goals with 13 entering Saturday.

Senior defenseman Logan Monroe, one of this year's Canisius co-captains, was a presence in the team's May Madness matchup with Robert Morris, causing a pair of turnovers in that game. He has forced two miscues and collected four ground balls in his first five outings this season.

MUSKET SHOTS

Are You Afraid Of The Dark?
The first two home night games in RMU history both featured the Golden Griffins. Jake Hayes, later of the NLL's Calgary Roughnecks, led the Colonials with four goals and six points in an 15-11 win over Canisius Mar. 27, 2012 in their first. Tyson Gibson, similarly, had six points (2 G, 4 A) versus the Golden Griffins in a 12-7 win Apr. 18, 2017.

Drawing A Blank
In their last home game, the Colonials shut out Bellarmine for the final 33:44, including a scoreless second half. This was their longest sustained stretch of scoreless ball since they went 35:07 without allowing a goal to visiting Cleveland State during a 14-5 win Apr. 14, 2018. RMU shut out Canisius for 28:35 en route to last year's NCAA Tournament win.

You Stay Classy, Maple, Ontario
Tyson Gibson has been selected as a candidate for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Gibson has scored a goal in 12 of his last 13 outings and at least one point in 25 of his previous 26. Through Monday, he is tied with James Rahe '16 (Vancouver Warriors, NLL) for fourth all-time at RMU with 53 assists.

What Aboot It?
Corson Kealey, who earned NEC Co-Player of the Week honors for his career-high five goals and points at High Point, is one of 15 Canadians on the 2019 roster. This gives the Colonials the most Canadians, and also, the most international players of any D-I men's team this year.

I Am Iron Man
James Scane was named the recipient of the team's 2018-19 Iron Man Award for excellence in off-season conditioning. Scane scored his first game-winning goal with 2:10 remaining in regulation to lead the Colonials to the first of their two wins over the Golden Griffins in 2018.

Hat's All, Folks
Dating back to last season, the Colonials have had at least one player record a hat trick in 14 consecutive games. In addition to Kealey's five goals, Week 4 NEC Prime Performer Tyson Gibson netted three at High Point to go with his two assists and season-high four ground balls. He also accounted for the first Robert Morris hat trick of the year at Penn State Feb. 9. Matt Schmidt also got the HT last Saturday, completing his with 1:42 left to force overtime.

Alexander The Great
Alex Heger, whose 25th career win on Feb. 23 set a new program record, was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List for the second straight year Mar. 1. He joins Max Tuttle of Sacred Heart as the only other representative from an active NEC member school. Heger also made team history by becoming its first First Team Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American Dec. 17, 2018. He made 11 saves on 35 shots faced when last he met Canisius Apr. 10, 2018.

Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now...
Robert Morris tied a team single-game record with 19 caused turnovers versus Bellarmine, which hadn't been done since a 15-6 win over Detroit Mercy Mar. 13, 2010. The Colonials rank second in the NEC with an average of 10.50 CT's per game. Jack Toomb recorded his 50th career caused turnover at High Point, passing Mike Meagher for sixth in program history.

Ground Round
With 173 career ground balls, Jack Toomb is now just two behind Kyle Buchanan '12 for the No. 3 spot in RMU lore. Trey Arnold led RMU with ten ground balls at High Point, putting him fourth in team history with a career 3.42 per-game average, just ahead of Toomb's 3.33 GB's per game. Arnold's performance against HPU put him all the way up to seventh in program history with 130 ground balls, surpassing Sean Meagher '14 and Zac Christianson '18.

An EMO Band
Robert Morris went 4-for-4 on extra-man opportunities at No. 9 Penn State Feb. 9. This marked the third time within the past calendar year and eighth time in team history that RMU registered four man-up goals in a single game, previously achieving the uncommon feat versus Sacred Heart Mar. 17, 2018 and High Point Mar. 3, 2018. The Colonials lead the NEC and are tied for fourth in the NCAA with their .500 success rate in man-up situations.

New Kids On The Block
In addition to Dan Taddeo, who scored his first NCAA goal :23 into the fourth quarter, Owen Down made his first career appearance, also getting his first start and caused turnover, at No. 9 Penn State Feb. 9. Brandon Sulhoff, another of the ten Colonials who made his first collegiate appearance that day, fired in his first goal in a Robert Morris jersey Feb. 23 versus Bellarmine. Will Johansen earned his first collegiate assist at No. 13/11 High Point Mar. 2.

Follow the Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Snapchat