Canisius men’s basketball player Billy Baron and women’s lacrosse player Morgan Leonard were named the 2012-13 Canisius Male and Female Athletes of the Year, the school announced Monday night at its annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Awards Gala, held in the Montante Cultural Center.

The Athlete of the Year Award is the highest honor a student-athlete can receive at the College. Each of the school’s 17 varsity programs nominate one deserving candidate, and the school’s 400-plus student-athletes, coaches, administrators and support staff cast their votes through an online voting service.

Baron is the first men’s basketball player in school history to be named the Male Athlete of the Year, since the award started at the end of the 2000-01 academic year. A junior from East Greenwich, R.I., Baron led the Golden Griffins to a 20-14 overall record in 2012-13, the program’s seventh 20-win campaign in school history. A transfer from the University of Rhode Island, Baron averaged a team-high 17.2 points per game, which ranked third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and his 5.0 assists per game led the league. His 584 total points on the year are the most for a Canisius player in the last 28 seasons, and he was named the CollegeInsider.comMid-Major MVP and to the All-MAAC First Team as the Blue and Gold earned their first national postseason berth since 1996.

Baron, Leonard Earn Canisius Athletes Of The Year – continue reading…

Canisius College junior Billy Baron has been named CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Most Valuable Player for the 2012-13 season, CollegeInsider.com announced today. Baron helped lead the Golden Griffins to a 20-14 overall record and an 11-7 mark in MAAC play in his first season with Canisius, which ended with the program’s first postseason appearance in 17 years.

A native of East Greenwich, R.I., Baron led the team with 17.2 points per game, and his 5.0 assists per game ranked first in the MAAC and No. 62 in the country. He shot 43.9 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from 3-point range and 82.4 percent from the free-throw line and he was also good for 4.1 rebounds per contest. An All-MAAC First-Team honoree, the 6-foot-2 guard scored a total of 584 points, the most for a Canisius player in the last 28 years. He posted a career-high 33 points in the team’s win at Niagara Feb. 10, to help the Blue and Gold end their nine-game road losing streak to their long-time rival, and he is the first Griff to score 30 or more points in a game three times in the same season since Ray Hall did that in 1984-85.

Baron ended the season ranked among the top-10 in the MAAC in seven different statistical categories, including scoring (third), assists (first), free-throw percentage (fifth), 3-point field goal percentage (eighth), 3-point field goals made per game (ninth), assists-to-turnover ratio (third) and minutes played (tenth). A team captain in his first season at Canisius, Baron played in all 34 games and made 33 starts.

Canisius’ Baron Named Mid-Major MVP – continue reading…

The Canisius baseball team lost 3-2 at Rider University in the final game of the weekend series in Lawrenceville, N.Y. The Golden Griffs were swept in a three-game Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference series for the first time since the 2007 season. Canisius is now 20-10 on the season and 4-5 in the MAAC.

Junior Jesse Kelso (East Amherst, N.Y.) went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Sophomore Jesse Puscheck (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) went 1-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base while freshman Anthony Massicci reached base twice and also had a stolen base.

The Griffs scored the game’s first run in the fourth inning, which started with a leadoff single from Kelso. He moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a groundout from junior Shane Zimmer. A sacrifice fly from senior Brooklyn Foster scored Kelso.

The Broncs scored all three of their runs in the sixth, taking advantage of the only walk of the game from freshman Alex Godzak as well as a misplayed sacrifice bunt. Greg Fazio worked the leadoff walk, and Ken Kremer laid down a sacrifice bunt but reached when Fazio beat the throw at second base. Godzak got a strikeout for the first out of the inning, but a two-RBI double from Mike Parsons gave Rider a 2-1 lead. After Godzak struck out Mike Strano for his eighth strikeout of the day, sophomore Rohn Pierce (Lockport, N.Y.) relieved Godzak and walked Adam Wayman. Jerry Mulderig followed with a single up the middle to put the Broncs up 3-1.

Canisius Baseball Struggling – continue reading…

For the first time in school history, Canisius College has made it to the NCAA hockey tournament.  The lowest seed, their task is daunting come Saturday when they face top-seeded Quinnipiac (27-7-5) in the first round.

Speaking of daunting, coverage of college hockey can be difficult to find, especially at the mainstream level.  Fortunately I found a preview of all the teams represented in the tournament.  Unfortunately, at least for Canisius fans, Ryan Lambert of Yahoo Sports’ Puck Daddy blog doesn’t think very highly of the Griffs.

When breaking down Canisius, Lambert penned the following:

“This is one of the worst teams to ever make the NCAA tournament,” Lambert wrote. “Quinnipiac is no great shakes, but they’re going to kick Canisius’ head in. They finished 19-18-5 in the worst conference in the country, and they’re only in because they won the Atlantic Hockey autobid. The Griffins are 1-4-2 against out-of-conference teams. They lost to a team that went 4-25-7.”

Canisius Gets No Love In NCAA Hockey Preview – continue reading…

The 2012-13 Atlantic Hockey Champions, the Canisius College hockey team will play top-seeded Quinnipiac in the NCAA Tournament East Regional Semifinal. The Griffs and Bobcats are set to meet on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in Providence, R.I.

Canisius is making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning the program’s first conference title on Saturday night. The Griffs, who own the nation’s longest active winning streak at eight games, defeated Mercyhurst, 7-2, to win Atlantic Hockey’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Quinnipiac enters the tournament with a 27-7-5 overall record. The Bobcats earned an at-large selection after winning the ECAC regular-season title and finishing third in the league’s postseason tournament.

The contest between Canisius and Quinnipiac will be shown live on ESPN3. The broadcast is then set to be re-aired the same night on ESPNU at 11:30 p.m.

The winner will advance to face either Boston College or Union on Sunday. The East Regional Final is set for 6:30 p.m., and will be shown live on ESPNU.

The Canisius College Golden Griffins will travel to play at Youngstown State in the second round of the 2013 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament on Saturday, March 23, CollegeInsider.com announced today. The game between the Golden Griffins and the Penguins is set to tipoff at 7 p.m.

Canisius advanced to the second round of the CIT with a 69-53 win over Elon University Wednesday night in the Koessler Athletic Center. The Griffs had five scorers post double figures in the victory, led by senior Harold Washington, who scored a team-high 19 points for the Blue and Gold. The Griffs held Elon to a season-low 29.4 percent from the field in the win, the program’s first postseason win since March 23, 1995, when the Griffs beat Washington State in the quarterfinal round of the NIT.

The Griffs are 19-13 overall after defeating Elon. The 19 wins are the most for the program since 2000-01 and the 14-win differential between this season and last year’s five-win campaign marks the largest turnaround in school history.

Youngstown State won the first postseason game in school history March 19, when the Penguins defeated Oakland at home by a score of 99-87. Youngstown State improved to 18-15 on the year with its win over Oakland in a game where the team set a school single-game record with 18 3-point field goals.

Griffs Travel To Youngstown State For CIT Second Round – continue reading…

The Canisius College men’s basketball team will play Elon University out of the Southern Conference in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament First Round, presented by The Buffalo News, on Wednesday, March 20, in the Koessler Athletic Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

The game between the Golden Griffins and the Phoenix will be the first in program history and it will mark the first time Canisius has played a team from the Southern Conference since the Blue and Gold played at College of Charleston during the 2004-05 season. The postseason game for the Griffs will be the program’s first since March 14, 1996 and Wednesday’s contest in the Koessler Athletic Center will be the program first postseason home game since March 23, 1995 when Canisius defeated Washington State in Buffalo’s Memorial Auditorium in the NIT quarterfinals.

Elon enters the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament with a 21-11 overall record and a 13-5 mark in SoCon play. The Phoenix won the 2013 Southern Conference North Division championship and the team saw its run at toward an NCAA Tournament berth come to an end in the Southern Conference Tournament semifinal round with a 68-60 loss to College of Charleston. This will be Elon’s first postseason appearance at the Division I level and it marks the school’s ninth postseason bid in 104 years of varsity basketball.

Canisius Hosts Elon In CIT First-Round – continue reading…

CollegeInsider.com has named Canisius junior Billy Baron the 2012-13 MAAC Co-MVP, the website announced today. Baron, who leads Canisius in scoring average at 16.9 points per game, shares the award with Niagara guard Juan’ya Green.

A team captain in his first season as a Golden Griffin, Baron became the first Canisius player since 1999-00 to be named All-MAAC First Team when the conference released its postseason awards last week. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard ranks fourth in the MAAC with his 16.9 points per game and his 5.0 assists per game lead the MAAC and ranks 62^nd nationally.

Through 31 games this year, Baron has scored 523 total points, which are the most for a Canisius player in his first season as a Griff since former Griff Ron Peaks scored 586 points during the 1977-78 campaign. Baron posted a career-high 33 points in Canisius’ win at Niagara Feb. 10, and his 4.1 rebounds per game rank third-best on this year’s roster. Baron was also named one of 25 finalists for the Lou Henson Award, which is given to the best mid-major Division I college basketball player in the country. That award is also presented by CollegeInsider.com.

The Griffs are currently 18-13 overall after losing to Iona in the quarterfinal round of the 2013 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship in Springfield, Mass., by a score of 89-85. The team is currently waiting to learn if it will be selected to play in a postseason tournament.

The Canisius College men’s basketball will meet Iona College at 4:30 p.m., in the quarterfinal round of the 2013 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship in Springfield, Mass. Canisius earned the tournament’s No. 5 seed and a first-round bye after the Golden Griffins went 18-12 overall and 11-7 in MAAC play. The 18 wins are the most for the team since 2000-01 and the 11 MAAC wins for the Blue and Gold tie a program record (set previously during the 1998-99 season).

Canisius is led by junior Billy Baron, who was named All-MAAC First Team last Monday after he posted 16.6 points and a league-best 5.1 assists per game this season. Senior Harold Washington was named All-MAAC Third Team after he posted 13.7 points per game. Canisius enters the postseason ranked fourth nationally in 3-point field goals per game (9.2) and the team’s 72.6 points per game scoring average ranks third in the conference.

Iona is the No. 4 seed and the Gaels enter the postseason with a 17-13 overall record and an 11-7 mark in league play. Iona, which is the nation’s third-leading scoring team, is led by senior guard Lamont Jones, who was named the conference’s Player of the Year on Thursday night. The Gaels and the Griffs split their regular-season series in 2012-13, with each team winning on its home floor.

Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and can be heard live on AM-1400 (in Buffalo) and through the Golden Griffin Broadcast Network online at GoGriffs.com. Jay Moran and Mike Scott will have the call, with the M&T Bank Pregame Show starting at 3:45 p.m.

Two late goals in a 31-second span helped the Canisius College hockey team rally past Mercyhurst, 4-2, on Saturday night at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. The Griffs are now 9-11-5 and 8-6-2 in Atlantic Hockey play, while the Lakers drop to 11-10-1 and 9-6-0 against league foes.

“It was a really tight hockey game tonight,” said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. “It was a game where two of the top goaltenders in the league made big save after big save and we happened to get a couple by him late. After a slow start to the contest, getting that first goal on the power play helped shift the momentum our way and get two big points out of this game. Now we need to get back at it and try to do the same thing on Tuesday.”

Freshman Stephen Miller and sophomore Matthew Grazen netted the two late goals with under seven minutes remaining to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. The rally marked the first time since March 12, 2011 that Canisius won a game when trailing at the second intermission.

Canisius Rallies Past Mercyhurst – continue reading…

Fairfield junior Maurice Barrow scored a career-high 21 points and senior guard Derek Needham added 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists as the visiting Stags defeated Canisius College 66-45 Thursday night in the Koessler Athletic Center. Fairfield, which has now won six straight, moved to 10-5 overall and 2-1 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play with the win, while the Golden Griffins saw their six-game home win streak came to an end, as the team slipped to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in league action.

Canisius junior Billy Baron scored a team-high 14 points in the loss for Canisius, which dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season after falling to Detroit Dec. 30 on the road. Fellow junior Chris Manhertz was credited with his fifth career double-double as he scored 11 points to go with a game-high 13 rebounds. The Griffs struggled offensively all night, as the team shot 30.4 percent from the field, 20 percent from 3-point range and 51.9 percent from the free-throw line in the loss, while Fairfield turned 21 Canisius turnovers into 24 points en route to the victory.

“Fairfield is a good team. They won 22 games last year, they have upperclassmen who have been through it and they pressured us early and forced us into turnovers,” Canisius head coach Jim Baron said. “To their credit, they made shots early and that gave them some confidence and we dug a hole that was just too deep. I told our guys we are going to need to match their intensity and we fell short of that. We need to do a better job of executing all around.”

Canisius Falls At Home To Fairfield – continue reading…

Canisius senior guard Isaac Sosa scored a season-high 24 points after making a career-high eight 3-point field goals and fellow senior Alshwan Hymes came off the bench to add 18 points to help lead the Golden Griffins to an 82-54 win over Longwood Monday night in the Koessler Athletic Center. Canisius improved to 7-2 on the year with the victory, while the Lancers slipped to 3-8 with the loss.

Junior forward Chris Manhertz added 13 points and nine rebounds to the winning effort for the Blue and Gold, which shot 50 percent from the field and 46.4 percent from 3-point land in the victory. Sosa finished the night by going 8-for-12 from long range to go with two rebounds, a career-high two blocked shots and a steal, while Hymes went 4-for-10 from behind the arc with three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Senior Freddy Asprilla came off the bench and chipped in nine points and five rebounds in 21 minutes, as the Griffs’ bench ended up out scoring Longwood’s reserves by a 35-4 count.

“This was a good team win for us tonight,” Canisius head coach Jim Baron said. “We had 17 assists on 30 made baskets, which shows we really shared the ball. We ended up with 35 points off the bench, which is a great sign that guys were ready to go when they got in the game. We didn’t rebound tonight like we did at Syracuse or at Marist and that’s something we need to be more consistent with. But overall, I’m pretty happy with this effort. We set the tone early when Isaac made some shots and we did a good job finding the open shooters.”

Canisius Cruises Past Longwood – continue reading…

Canisius College men’s basketball player Billy Baron was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Week and the Lou Henson Award “Player of the Week”, it was announced on Monday. Baron helped lead the Golden Griffins to two road victories last week over MAAC rivals Fairfield and Marist, as Canisius improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play.

Baron averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game last week as the Blue and Gold improved to 2-0 in league play for the first time since 1997-98. The junior guard had 19 points and five rebounds in the Griffs’ win at Fairfield Dec. 7, a win that snapped the program’s nine-game losing streak to the Stags. At Marist Dec. 9, he posted his first career double-double as he scored 16 points to go with a career-high 11 assists. For the week, he shot 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range and 72.7 percent from the free-throw line. He has scored in double figures in all seven of Canisius’ games this season and his 6.0 assists per game average ranks first in the MAAC and 22^nd nationally.

Baron also received Lou Henson Award “Player of the Week” Honors for his efforts last week, CollegeInsider.com announced Monday. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the top Mid-Major player in Division I college basketball. The award is named in honor of Lou Henson, who retired after a spectacular coaching career that lasted 41 years. When he left the game in 2005, he was sixth all-time in career Division I wins with 779. He is the winningest coach at both Illinois and New Mexico State. He is one of only 12 coaches in the history of the game to take two schools to the Final Four. Baron is the second MAAC player to receive this weekly honor this season, as Iona’s Lamont Jones was also recognized for his play the week of Nov. 19.

Canisius’ Baron Captures MAAC Honors – continue reading…

The Canisius men’s basketball team hit a school-record 17 3-pointers, senior Harold Washington had a season-high 25 points, junior Billy Baron registered his first career double-double and fellow junior Chris Manhertz pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds as the Golden Griffins defeated Marist 94-82 Sunday afternoon in the McCann Arena in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The win, Canisius’ third straight, improved the team to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, while Marist slipped to 3-6 overall and 1-1 in league action.

The 94 points scored by the Griffs are the most for the program since the team posted 101 in an overtime loss at Niagara Feb. 16, 2005 and the 17 makes from behind the 3-point arc bested the previous program record of 16, set Jan. 10, 2001 at home against Siena. Eight of the nine Canisius players that saw time in the game scored five or more points in the win, as Canisius moved to 2-0 in MAAC play for the first time since 1997-98.

“This was a great team win for us today,” Canisius head coach Jim Baron said. “Marist is tough to defend because they like to play inside-out, and I thought we did a good job at making them take long jump shots. Chris Manhertz was a warrior out there today. He was up on the glass and really set the tone with his 18 rebounds. I’ve always been a big believer in the 3-point shot and we got on a bit of a roll there today and that allowed us to get away from them.”

Canisius Out Guns Marist – continue reading…

For the second-consecutive week, junior Tony Capobianco of the Canisius College hockey team earned Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week honors, announced by the league on Monday.

Capobianco led the Griffs to a sweep against Connecticut during the weekend. The junior stopped 81-of-82 shots that he saw in the two victories, posting a 0.50 goals against average and .988 save percentage. In Friday’s 3-0 victory, Capobianco stopped all 36 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season and the second of his career. He then followed with a 45-save performance during a 3-1 victory on Saturday, matching his career high in stops.

The weekend highlighted what has been a strong season for Capobianco. The junior has anchored the nation’s fifth-ranked scoring defense this year, placing fifth in the country with a .942 save percentage and 10th with a 1.83 goals against average.

During his career, Capobianco has appeared in 44 games with a 2.61 goals against average and .924 save percentage. Both career marks rank first in the program’s history, while Capobianco’s single-season stats are also the highest in the school’s record book.

Canisius’ Capobianco Named Goalie of the Week – continue reading…

Five Canisius College players scored in double figures, led by junior Billy Baron and his team-high 18 points, and the Golden Griffins were able to turn 24 Buffalo turnovers into 27 points as Canisius improved to 3-0 on the year with a 71-64 victory over the visiting Bulls Tuesday night in front of a sellout crowd in the Koessler Athletic Center. Buffalo dropped its third straight overall and is now 1-5 on the season.

Baron added five assists and a career-high four steals to the winning effort as the Blue and Gold improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2000-01. Junior Jordan Heath had 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots for Canisius, while senior guard Harold Washington added 12 points and five assists. Junior Chris Manhertz chipped in 11 points, three rebounds and two steals for Canisius, which ended the night shooting 40 percent from the field, 23.8 percent from 3-point land and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line.

For Buffalo, junior Javon McCrea had a game-high 22 points and pulled down six rebounds while sophomore Will Regan added 15 points and six boards. The Bulls out rebounded Canisius by a 39-25 clip and held a 38-34 advantage in points scored in the paint, but in the end, the Bulls’ 24 turnovers proved to be too much to overcome.

Canisius Stuns UB In Men’s Hoops – continue reading…

Canisius College senior guard Harold Washington has been named to the Preseason All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Second Team, the conference office announced Thursday. Washington, who closed out the 2011-12 season as an All-MAAC Second Team honoree, was the only Canisius player to make to make the conference’s preseason all-star unit.

Washington is the Golden Griffins’ top returning scorer, as he averaged 17.0 points per game last year, which ranked fourth in the MAAC. He became the first Canisius player since 1977-78 to score more than 500 points in his first season as a Griff and he also posted 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game in 30 contests. A native of Brandywine, Md., Washington scored in double figures 26 times and closed out his junior campaign with 20-or more points in 10 different games, which is the most for a Canisius player since 1995-96.

Washington and his Canisius teammates will officially open the 2012-13 season on Monday, Nov. 12, when the Blue and Gold plays host to Boston University in the Koessler Athletic Center, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Canisius is set to open its exhibition schedule on Friday, Nov. 2, when the Griffs play host to Ryerson in the Koessler. Game time is 7 p.m.

The Canisius College hockey opened Atlantic Hockey play with a 1-1 tie against Air Force on Thursday night. The Griffs are now 1-3-1 on the season, while the Falcons are 0-2-3.

“It was a total team effort from us today,” said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. “We had a lot of good offensive chances tonight but their goalie played well. I like our game from our goaltending on out and I’m real happy with our physical play and strong skating.”

Junior Taylor Law scored the Griffs’ lone goal of the night with junior netminder Tony Capobianco anchoring the Canisius defense with 17 saves.

Air Force netted the game’s first goal, scoring 11:01 into the contest. After a Canisius turnover in its own zone, Cole Gunner gained possession behind the net and found Kyle DeLaurell open in the slot. DeLaurell then finished high for the 1-0 Falcons advantage.

Canisius Ties Air Force In Hockey – continue reading…

A 12-year veteran of the National Hockey League, Adam Mair has joined the Canisius College hockey staff as Director of Player Development, announced by head coach Dave Smith on Monday.

“I’m very thankful for the opportunity that has been provided by Canisius College, Dave Smith and the entire coaching staff where I’ll be able to learn the many aspects involved in coaching and the day-to-day operations of running a program,” Mair said. “I look forward to helping Canisius College and its players achieve their goals and aid in their future success. It is great to be involved and give back to the Buffalo hockey community that has given me so much in my career.”

At Canisius, Mair will work directly with the coaches on practice and game evaluation. In addition, he will assist the staff with individual and team video to ensure quality control as well as scouting of opponents.

“It is great for our program to have a former NHL player with over 850 professional games join our staff,” Smith said. “Adam’s passion for the game and his interest in helping our program reach the next level is evident on a daily basis. He is a tremendous asset to Canisius College hockey.

Adam Mair Joins Canisius College Staff – continue reading…

Canisius College head men’s basketball coach Jim Baron announced today that his youngest son, Billy Baron has submitted the necessary paperwork to enroll at Canisius and has been accepted into the College, effective immediately. Additionally, Canisius’ waiver to allow Baron’s immediate eligibility for the fall of 2012 has been granted by the NCAA, meaning the 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard will have two years of eligibility remaining, starting in the 2012-13 season.

“I am really excited for Billy on a personal level and we are extremely happy to have him join our program at Canisius,” Jim Baron said.

Baron played in 20 games last season at Rhode Island where he made 14 starts. After sitting out the first semester of the 2011-12 season following a transfer from the University of Virginia, Baron averaged 13.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, while shooting 40.4 percent from the field, 31.2 percent from 3-point range and 82.7 percent from the free-throw line. He scored in double figures 13 times and posted 20 or more points in a game five times for the Rams last season, highlighted by his career-high 25-point effort in the team’s 86-81 road win at Dayton Jan. 28.

Father, Son Unite For Canisius College Hoops – continue reading…