DEARBORN, Mich. — A decisive third-quarter surge proved costly for Lawrence Tech on Wednesday night, as the Blue Devils fell 12-9 to Michigan-Dearborn in a WHAC conference matchup at Crestwood High School.
Tied 6-6 at halftime, Lawrence Tech briefly grabbed momentum coming out of the break before Michigan-Dearborn responded with a 4-0 run to take control. The Wolverines turned an 8-6 Blue Devils lead into a 10-8 deficit for Lawrence Tech by the end of the third quarter, then used a late man-up goal and a final insurance tally to keep the visitors at arm's length in the fourth.
Luke Gannon led the Blue Devils' attack with four goals and one assist on seven shots, pacing an offense that generated 36 total attempts and 23 shots on goal. Gannon scored twice in the opening quarter, including a finish off a feed from Trevor Donohue to put Lawrence Tech up 2-1, and later assisted his brother, Parker Gannon, on a goal that extended the lead to 3-2. He continued to be a factor throughout, striking again in the second quarter as Lawrence Tech pushed ahead 6-4 and adding a fourth-quarter goal that trimmed the deficit to 11-9 with 10:56 to play.
Brendan Shinavier provided additional scoring punch with two goals on nine shots, while Parker Gannon added one goal in the first quarter. Lawrence Tech matched Michigan-Dearborn in the possession battle, winning 12 faceoffs and collecting 39 ground balls to the hosts' 34. The Blue Devils also finished a perfect 20-for-20 on clears, consistently moving the ball out of their defensive end to initiate transition and half-field offense.
Defensively, Lawrence Tech's back line and goalkeeping group turned in a solid effort against a high-volume Michigan-Dearborn offense. The Blue Devils allowed 35 shots but limited many of them to the perimeter and received 14 saves in net to stay within striking distance. However, penalties proved pivotal. Lawrence Tech was whistled four times, and Michigan-Dearborn capitalized with two power-play goals, including a man-up strike in the third quarter that helped fuel the decisive run and another in the fourth that stretched the margin to 11-8.
Michigan-Dearborn was led by Cooper Hallwood, who finished with four goals and two assists, and Jeremy Fancett, who recorded a hat trick, including the game's final goal with 10:02 remaining. Still, Lawrence Tech stayed aggressive to the final whistle, continuing to generate looks in the attacking third and forcing 14 saves from the Michigan-Dearborn goalkeeper.
With the setback, Lawrence Tech leaves Dearborn with several positives to build on: balanced scoring, an efficient clearing game and an even performance at the faceoff X. The Blue Devils will look to clean up special-teams play and reduce turnovers after committing 28, using this contest as a measuring stick as they move deeper into the spring schedule. LTU is back in action this Saturday as they play host to the Maruaders of Madonna University at 1pm, at Blue Devils Stadium.
