SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - Madonna used a dominant middle stretch and relentless shooting to pull away from Lawrence Tech 22-6 on Saturday afternoon at Blue Devil Stadium in Southfield, Michigan. The Blue Devils opened with early energy and trailed just 8-4 after the first quarter, but a decisive 6-0 second quarter by Madonna turned the game into a lopsided WHAC conference result.
Lawrence Tech struck first when Luke Gannon scored the opening goal at 12:45 of the first quarter to give the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead and energize the home crowd. Madonna answered with a run sparked by Spencer Guppy at 9:09, but Lawrence Tech continued to battle in the opening frame. Trevor Donohue's short-handed goal with seven seconds left in the first quarter trimmed the deficit to 8-4 and kept the Blue Devils within striking distance after 15 minutes.
The game swung decisively in the second quarter, when Madonna controlled possession and outscored Lawrence Tech 6-0 to take a 14-4 lead into halftime. Despite strong work at the faceoff X, where the Blue Devils won 19 draws to Madonna's 13, Lawrence Tech struggled to convert possessions into sustained offensive pressure. Madonna's shot volume proved to be the difference, as the visitors generated 67 attempts and 47 shots on goal compared with 25 attempts and 16 shots on goal for the Blue Devils.
Lawrence Tech's defense and goalkeeping faced constant pressure throughout the afternoon. The Blue Devils' netminder finished with 25 saves on 47 shots on goal, repeatedly turning aside high-quality chances to limit further damage on the scoreboard. Lawrence Tech also stayed perfect on clears, going 13-for-13 in transitioning the ball out of its defensive half, but 27 turnovers and limited sustained possessions in the offensive end made it difficult to close the gap once Madonna's lead grew into double digits.
Offensively, the Blue Devils' production was bookended by timely goals. Gannon's opening tally set the early tone, and Brendan Shinavier added a fourth-quarter score at 14:14 to give Lawrence Tech its first goal since late in the first quarter. Donohue's short-handed strike in the closing seconds of the opening frame highlighted Lawrence Tech's ability to generate chances in special-teams situations, even as Madonna capitalized on its own power-play opportunities at key moments.
Madonna was led by Benjamin Reidy, who recorded five goals and one assist, and Jackson Gradstein, who added three goals and two assists. The visitors also received multi-goal efforts from Rico Hart and Ryan Davis and went a perfect 15-for-15 on clears while committing just 11 turnovers. Madonna converted two power-play opportunities and added a short-handed goal in the second quarter to help build and maintain separation on the scoreboard.
Lawrence Tech finished with 15 ground balls and held the edge at the faceoff dot, a foundation the Blue Devils will look to build on moving forward. With the early-season matchup providing a clear picture of areas for improvement on both ends of the field, Lawrence Tech turns its attention to tightening possession, limiting turnovers and translating strong faceoff and clearing numbers into more consistent offensive pressure in upcoming contests.
