Marist handled Canisius, 14-10, in a game of bipolar weather, with sophomore attacker Collin Patrick logging his third consecutive five-point game to lead the Red Foxes.
A “Pat-Trick” and two assists bring his season totals up to 23 goals and 19 assists, good for a team-leading 42 points.
“Coach is putting me in the right positions and I’m trusting my teammates; all is working well,” said Patrick.
Midfielders junior Drew Anderson and sophomore Sean Mullan each scored hat tricks for the Red Foxes, who never gave up the lead after taking it less than two minutes into the game.
Marist (5-5, 3-1 MAAC) fired 56 shots at Golden Griffins (3-8, 3-1 MAAC) senior goalie Tommy Kunz, who ended up with 14 saves on 28 shots on goal.
A strong defensive performance for Marist was highlighted by a pole goal from sophomore defender Michael Cassano. Marist also limited the Golden Griffins to just 23 shots; 15 of those shots were on target, and 10 goals showcased their high shot-on-goal percentage.
Cassano’s goal was the fourth for him on the year, proving some of the work he’s put in to become more of a two-way player.
“[Mike’s] been doing an unbelievable job of pushing himself on a daily basis,” said head coach Dave Scarcello. “He’s working every day to become a two-way player at the long-stick midfielder position and it really allows us to expand our game.”
Senior faceoff specialist Dylan Bedell dominated for Marist, winning 21 of the 26 faceoffs he took. His faceoff partner freshman Josh Smith went 2-2, allowing Marist to control the ball and have many more possessions. Marist is now second in the MAAC in faceoff percentage, only behind Siena, who’ve played three fewer games. Bedell himself also sits second, only behind Siena’s faceoff man freshman Logan Banek.
“The way they battled for the ball and for possession was a big difference maker for us,” said Scarcello. “Winning 21 of 26 is a game changer and allowed us to play at our tempo once we took the lead.”
Marist started the game on a 3-0 run and closed it on a 7-2 run in the final 23 minutes. A run from Canisius brought the game to within one twice, but the Red Foxes held on.
Rain started to pour in the second quarter, with slips and trips being plentiful. Canisius capitalized, scoring four goals in the second frame to go into the half only down two.
Both offenses came out of the half alive, scoring three goals apiece as the game entered the fourth quarter still up in the air. Anderson scored to open the period, but two from Canisius kept it close.
Graduate student midfielder Josh Balcarcel, who’s been quiet in recent games, found his footing as the game ended, assisting Patrick’s third and getting his own to seal it with just under 15 seconds left.
“As long as I can open up my teammates and draw slides so they can put it in the back of the net, that’s what I love to do,” said Balcarcel.
Balcarcel almost had an unbelievable assist in the fourth, swimming past a defender to throw a lob-pass to Patrick after being harassed by multiple defenders. The goal was disallowed after a shot clock violation, with a .04 second late release being the difference.
A 1:00 penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct – the only penalty of the game – gave Marist the ball back and another chance at a goal, although nothing came from it.
Marist’s quick schedule continues on Saturday, March 29 as the Red Foxes travel to play Sacred Heart. Game time against the Pioneers (7-2, 3-1 MAAC) is scheduled for noon.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Graphic by Quinn DiFiore
Photo from Kira Crutcher
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