Having survived a tough game against the University of Rochester, Canisius College looks to be in good shape in the Upstate NY Small College Western Bracket.

The Golden Griffins edged the Yellowjackets 26-24 in a clash of undefeated teams, and that means Canisius goes into this weekend’s clash against St. John Fisher with a 4-0 conference record.

Eric McEvoy readies to make a tackle while Ya Jitsuyama is ready to help.

“I think a lot of it has to do with finally having veterans on the team,” said Canisius Coach Stephen Caruana. “We had eight guys at my first training session three years ago when the team came back from suspension. We have gotten numbers up to 35-40 these last two years.”

Getting back to the playoffs will be another big step for a team that used to be in DI.

“There is a strong history with the club and the alumni aren't shy about letting us know about it,” said Caruana. “[But] this is the first real time in four years that we have been able to develop some depth.”

The front line taken includes Chris Wier, in his fourth year with the team and a rock at inside center.

“Chris leads the club in tries this season and has led the way with some crushing defensive play as well,” said Caruana. 

Wier’s brother Brad is now the fullback, but he sustained a knee injury against Rochester, which is a blow. Also in the backline, flyhalf Matt Smith has done well to use the rest of the talented backs, including junior outside center Eric McEvoy.

Up front,, fourth-year flanker Jon Moran is the co captain and leads the team in tackles, while hooker Frosty Diflavia has emerged as a key player.

All of those players were in the Buffalo Rugby Developmental Team, which helped them improve their skill base.

“Our defense and experience has really been the key as we have come behind in three out of four matches this year,” said Caruana. “We have 15 guys committed to team defense who like talking, firing up on defense and love to hit.  It's been real fun rugby to watch.”

Still it took the Griffins until the final play to put away UofR. No. 8 Jake Kehoe scored on a tap penalty under the posts with no time left. That tied the game, and Matt Smith slotted the conversion to win it.

“It really was  one of the best live collegiate matches I've seen in all my years of rugby,” said Caruana, who witnessed a massive battle between two talented midfields. 

In the Upstate NY Northern Bracket, SUNY Plattsburgh leads despite having tied Hamilton - Plattsburgh has one more bonus point. Plattsburgh plays Paul Smith’s (2-2) this weekend to cap their conference play. Rochester plays 1-3 Alfred, while Hamilton faces 0-4 St. Lawrence. Then it’s on to the playoffs, with the Upstate winner taking on the New England winner in the NSCRO Round of 16, and the runners up from those regions likely playing in to another Round of 16 clash.