Granito Leads Dragons Past St. John's, 9-7, for Third Straight Win

Saturday, March 18

Queens, N.Y.

1 p.m.

Drexel University

3-4, 0-0CAA

St. John's

1-6, 0-0BIG EAST

Drexel

St. John's

mlax Jimmy Joe Granito vs villanova 022817

Granito Leads Dragons Past St. John's, 9-7, for Third Straight Win

3/18/2017 3:02:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

Queens. N.Y. – Drexel scored five unanswered goals to end the first half and held on to defeat St. John's, 9-7, for its third-straight win. Jimmy Joe Granito had an outstanding day in the cage with 15 saves, while Cole Shafer and Robert Frazee each scored three times.

Drexel (3-4) played a solid first half and had a 6-1 lead entering the third quarter. The teams exchanged goals as Mike Madsen scored for the Red Storm (1-6) and Jake O'Donnell for the Dragons making it 7-2 midway through the third. The Red Storm scored twice in the final seven minutes of the third making it a three-goal game heading into the fourth. Colin Duffy scored the first and, after a Drexel turnover at midfield, set up Matt Oehl with just 1:04 left in the quarter.

Drexel extended the lead to four goals in the first minute of the fourth. Shafer, who finished with four points, set up Bowering for a goal at the crease. The Red Storm answered a few minutes later after Granito made two big saves. Nick Heller fired a shot from the right wing making it 8-5. Two minutes later, Duffy scooped up a rebound and as he was falling down went behind his back for a shot, beating Granito and cutting the lead to 8-6. It appeared St. John's had the momentum, but the Red Storm was called for a slashing penalty on the ensuing face-off. The Dragons answered as Frazee fired a shot from the wing low into the far corner giving Drexel some insurance. They would need it as St. John's trimmed the lead to 9-7 on a Joe Madsen goal with 4:25 to play. The Red Storm would have their chances to make it a one-goal game, but Granito thwarted each attempt. He made seven of his 15 saves in the final 15 minutes.

Drexel opened the scoring when Joe Rainoldi found the net five minutes into the game. Saint John's evened it up after a penalty to the Dragons. Mike Madsen converted on the crease with the man-up at the 5:27 mark of the first quarter. That would be the last goal of the half for the Red Storm. Shafer started the five-goal run when he scored with 1:10 to go. Jude Whalen picked up an assist on the play. The lead went to 3-1 with just seven seconds to go in the first when Frazee scored his first of the game.

The score remained the same until the Dragons scored two goals within 27 seconds of each other midway through the second. Frazee came from behind the net and bounced a shot through Daniel Costa's legs for the Dragons' fourth of the game. Frazee was hit hard on the paly and the Red Storm took a penalty for an illegal body check. The Dragons made St. John's pay with a man-up goal at the 6:31 mark. Shafer made a nifty dodge from the left side past a defender and put one past the St. John's goalkeeper, who got a piece of it, giving Drexel a four-goal cushion. Shafer completed his first half hat trick with 2:17 to go. Reid Bowering made a nice feed to Shafer on the crease, and the senior put it home making it 6-1 as the teams went to intermission. That goal gave him 20 on the season and 104 in his career. It is the fourth-straight year Shafer reached the 20-goal mark and the British Columbia native moved into sixth place in career goals at Drexel, passing John Colt. Granito had a big first half in goal for Drexel, allowing just one man-up goal and making eight saves, including a big stop on Duffy from right out in front with about a minute to go in the half.

Bowering finished with a goal and an assist and now has 12 points in his last three games. Marshal King picked up a pair of assists in the win. Duffy led the Red Storm with a pair of goals and two assists. Mike Madsen added two goals for St. John's, who outshot the Dragons, 42-19. St. Johns won 13 of the 22 face-offs in the contest. Drexel committed 16 turnovers, including 10 in the second half, but managed to defeat St. John's for the sixth time in the team's last seven meetings.

The Dragons conclude their two-game road swing on Sunday at Providence. Colonial Athletic Association play will begin for Drexel on April 1. The Towson Tigers visit West Philadelphia for a 4 p.m. contest at Vidas Field.