BUFFALO, N.Y. – For the fourth consecutive season on Saturday, the Bellarmine lacrosse team will lock horns with Canisius of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Opening faceoff at Demske Sports Complex is set for 12 p.m. ET.
 
The Knights will try to rebound after a 16-4 defeat at the hands of Ohio State.
 
"Our guys are looking forward to the quick turnaround," said head coach Andrew Whitley. "We've got several things we want to work on over the next couple of days and it will be nice to apply what we work on in a game situation very quickly. Canisius is a lot like us in that they are looking to find their identity early in the season, so the game will be a good benchmark for where we are."
 
The Golden Griffins have played just one game thus far, dropping their season opener at Hobart 21-12 on Saturday.
 
"This game has been a battle every time we've played them and I would expect something similar on Saturday," said Whitley. "Mason Wolford, Patrick Mitchell and TJ Buono lead the Canisius offense. We've been challenged at the start of the season against some very good offenses and I think that experience will be extremely beneficial against the up-and-coming Griffins offense."
 
A senior midfielder, Mitchell led the team with 39 points a season ago on 22 goals and 17 assists. Wolford, a sophomore attack, led Canisius with 25 goals. A senior attack, Buono appeared in just nine games before this year, all as a junior, but registered a team-high three goals against Hobart.
 
On the faceoff dot, Micah Hanson earned Preseason All-MAAC laurels in 2024 after posting a .515 faceoff win percentage and ranking 10^th nationally last season in groundballs per game. He is poised to become Canisius' all-time faceoff wins and groundballs leader this season.
 
In the cage, senior keeper Tommy Kunz started all 15 games last season and the opener against Hobart, but was removed after surrendering 17 goals through three quarters. Last season, he ranked third in the MAAC in saves per game (12.1), sixth in save percentage (.486) and eighth in goals against average (13.3).
 
Bellarmine is 1-2 through the first three meetings in the series with Canisius, 1-0 in Buffalo. Last season, Canisius won an 8-7 thriller in Bellarmine's home opener at Frazier Stadium. Canisius led 8-6 late when Wilson Murphree scored with 2:18 left to cut the deficit to one. The Knights then unleashed five shots in the final minute, but were unable to net the equalizer. Bellarmine won at Demske Sports Complex 14-4 on February 18, 2023 in their only previous trip to Buffalo. Benny O'Rourk went for four goals and an assist in that game, which also saw Kyle Playsted become Bellarmine's all-time assists leader.
 
As for this time around, Whitley pointed to the transition game as a key feature of what the Golden Griffins will bring to the table on Saturday.
 
"Their 10-man ride always presents a challenge as it is a staple of what they do," he said. "We will need to be disciplined in our clearing spacing and ultimately attack their pressure with pressure of our own attacking their goal in our clear."
 
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