Madonna pulls away after first-half surge to defeat Lawrence Tech 27-7
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAD | 6 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 27 |
| LAW | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
Lawrence Tech fell behind early and never recovered Wednesday night, as Madonna used a dominant first half and a decisive third-quarter burst to hand the Blue Devils a 27-7 loss in Livonia, Michigan.
Madonna opened the scoring at 14:28 of the first quarter on a goal by Ryan Davis and controlled the game from there. The Crusaders outscored Lawrence Tech 6-2 in the opening quarter, then added a 7-1 edge in the second to take a 13-3 lead into halftime. Lawrence Tech stayed within reach briefly after Brennan Urbas scored at the 5:34 mark of the first quarter off an assist from Luke Gannon to make it 5-1, and Parker Gannon added a late goal with 41 seconds left in the second quarter, but Madonna kept answering with sustained pressure.
The game turned fully in the third quarter, when Madonna scored nine times and stretched the margin beyond reach. Rico Hart struck early in the quarter at 14:09 as part of that surge, and Ryan Davis scored again at 3:45, with Marcus Dochenetz credited with the assist, to make it 20-3. Hart finished with five goals for Madonna, while Davis added three goals and two assists. Makian Chamblis also scored three times, and Ross Preston contributed two goals and two assists.
Lawrence Tech's brightest offensive effort came from Brendan Shinavier, who scored three goals and was one of the Blue Devils' most consistent threats. Shinavier found the net again with 8:42 remaining in the fourth quarter during Lawrence Tech's late push, part of a final period in which the Blue Devils scored four times after being held scoreless in the third. Even with the difficult result, that stretch gave Lawrence Tech some offensive production late in the game.
The statistical gap told much of the story. Madonna finished with a 71-27 advantage in shots and put 45 attempts on goal compared with 17 for Lawrence Tech. The Crusaders also controlled possession by winning 25 of 35 faceoffs and collecting 46 ground balls, while the Blue Devils had 18. Lawrence Tech goalkeeper Dylan Porter was forced into heavy action and recorded 18 saves, despite the steady volume Madonna created throughout all four quarters.
Special teams also favored Madonna. The Crusaders converted three man-up goals, including Hart's power-play score in the second quarter, Marcus Villagomez's man-up goal at 12:51 of the fourth, and Chamblis' man-up finish with 2:08 left off an assist from Dylan Hicks. Lawrence Tech committed four penalties and did not score on the man advantage. Madonna's control of faceoffs, shots and extra-man opportunities kept the Blue Devils under pressure from the opening goal through the closing minutes.
