Siena Saints 78 at Canisius Golden Griffins 63 (NCAA Basketball, MAAC) - February 1, 2026

The final stop on my weekend trip to Buffalo was the Koessler Athletic Center, home of Canisius basketball and the only one of the four venues actually located in Buffalo. The arena is located right on Main Street, just a mile and a half from Anchor Bar, which claims to be the birthplace of Buffalo wings. I had never been before, so stopped in for an early lunch after driving back from Olean. As there was no football on the weekend before the Super Bowl, it was rather empty.

I then drove to the venue, following Google's directions and turning in off Main Street, which is a no-no as that is a season-ticket holder lot. There was a gentleman in a pickup who kindly instructed me to drive a half-block farther along Main and turn right on Delavan, where a couple of parking lots could be found. From there, you walk back to the venue, approaching from the northeast.

You can enter on this side, but if you want a shot of the front of the building (below), you need to cross Main Street, after which you can enter through the main entrance. I like how the two sides of the structure are completely different.

The Koessler Athletic Center (abbreviated as KAC) opened in 1968 and holds 2,196 fans. It is named for J. Walter Koessler, an alumnus and businessman who donated considerable funds to its construction. Tickets here are $15 for general admission and $25 for reserved (no prizes for guessing which I bought) and I inquired if they take cash as many places are now card only. The cashier happily accepted my bills and told me so; I mentioned how cashless places are very annoying and he wholeheartedly agreed.

Canisius has a unique nickname in the Golden Griffins, adopted in 1932 in honor of Le Griffon, the ship of the Great Lakes explorer La Salle. There are a few display cases containing championship trophies below a mural that greets you at the main entrance.

The school is rivals with Niagara, who also play in the MAAC and since 2007, they have annually contested the Battle of the Bridge, named for the Grand Island Bridge along I-190 that must be traversed to reach the other campus. The competition involves all sports and the winner receives the Canal Cup, so dubbed for the Erie Canal that separates the two counties in which the schools are located. Canisius has dominated the series, leading 14-5 and as they are the defending champion, the Cup (actually a barrel that you can see below) resides here for now. 

Most impressive here is the Athletics Hall of Fame, where each inductee has a simple portrait. I had a quick look before the game and did not notice any familiar names. Fortunately, fellow sports traveler Peter, a longtime Buffalo resident and huge basketball fan, had joined me for this one and he mentioned that Mike Smrek was in the Hall. I recalled Smrek from my teenage years as he was the first Canadian that I knew of to play in the NBA when he was with the Lakers in the mid-1980s.

After the game, I found his plaque and later on, I did some reading up on him. When the Lakers took the title in 1987, Smrek and Mychal Thompson (Bahamas) became the first non-US nationals to win the NBA Championship. Furthermore, Smrek's daughter Anna is a 6'9 volleyball player who was the Most Outstanding Player at the 2021 Final Four when she led the Wisconsin Badgers to the title. As the saying goes, you can't teach height.

The gym is typical for this level, with the reserved chairback seats on both sides between the baskets, while the outer sections and baseline seats are general admission benches. Of course, there are no ushers, so if you have a GA ticket, just move a section over to get a bit of a better view and a slightly more comfortable seat.

Reserved sections are numbered 1 through 4 on one sideline and 5 through 8 on the other, while the GA sections are simply labeled as such. I sat next to Section 1 prior to the game and after Peter joined me, we were approached by a young lady who asked the stupidest question ever: "Do you want free pizza?". Duh. Turns out our section was given coupons for a free slice at the concession stand, a $3 value. Woo-hoo! No need to eat at the airport now. 

There are banners along one wall with the team having four tournament appearances, though the last one was in 1996. In 2018, they tied Rider for the regular season title but lost in the first round of the tournament; as they lost the tiebreaker to Rider, they didn't even get to go to the NIT.

There is a band here as well as a cheerleading squad and a dance team all of whom added a bit of entertainment to a game that needed some. One trombonist played womp-womp every time a visiting player missed a free throw, which was quite amusing and perhaps the highlight for the home fans.

The mascot is Petey the Griffin, a reference to St. Peter Canisius, a 16th-century Dutch Jesuit Priest for whom the school is named.

The MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) now has 13 schools, with Canisius and Niagara the westernmost. There is a colourful collection of banners along one wall that I studied during the breaks in a vain attempt to memorize the list. I've been to every one except Mount St. Mary's, which is in Emmitsburg, Maryland, just over an hour from Baltimore.

It was good having Peter (the sports traveler, not the mascot) next to me as he knows a lot about the history of college hoops in the area and had plenty of tidbits about all of the schools that I had visited over the past couple of days, knowledge that helped me appreciate the trip even more. I've said it before: the best part of sports travel is meeting other sports travelers.

Overall, the KAC is an average venue with a top-notch Hall of Fame and a pretty good location too. You don't have to see a game there to enjoy the history, but if you do, I hope you get a better one than we did.

The Game

Siena (15-7, 8-3 MAAC) were the visitors after they beat Niagara on Friday night and I expected them to wear dark green again, but they switched it up to black and gold uniforms. They were 9.5-point favourites over Canisius (8-14,3-8).

The Golden Griffins started well, sinking five treys in the first 9 minutes to take a 19-13 lead. They then went 2 for 10 from the floor and added five giveaways over 11 frustrating minutes as Siena enjoyed a 27-5 run that pretty much ended things before the half. Canisius did score the last five points of the period to go the break down 40-29, so maybe there was hope.

Then again, maybe not. The Griffins did get within 9 a couple of times, but they were simply outclassed by Siena, who won 78-63 in a game that was never in doubt after that first-half surge. Canisius was just 10-27 from inside the arc (12-30 outside) which meant they were awarded few free throws as well. Adding 14 turnovers leading to 22 Siena points and this was not much of a contest. Justice Shoats led Siena with 22 while Javante Edwards had 18 (6-9 from long range) in the loss.

The home team lost all four games on the trip, though in three cases they were underdogs, so it wasn't much of a surprise.

Notes

I flew back to LGA that evening and if you approach from the north, you are often vectored over Astoria (where I live) and Manhattan. It was a clear night and I had a left side window seat near the front, allowing for some incredible views of the city.



That's the Empire State Building in red and green and Times Square above, while lower Manhattan is below. It amazes me that people keep their window shades down during landing as they miss some fantastic shots.

As we approached Runway 31, we passed by Etihad Stadium, which will host NYCFC starting in 2027. Citi Field is in the background and I wish I had a better camera on my phone.

Thurman Thomas, the 1991 NFL MVP for the Bills, was in attendance and fans could take a picture with him before the game. By the time I was done my tour, that opportunity had passed, but Thomas stayed for the entire game with a courtside seat; that's him in the white shirt and black hat below.

Best,

Sean