MLAX: Madonna and Indiana Tech Set To Meet in Finals

Top seeded Madonna will host Indiana Tech in the WHAC tournament finals on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Crusaders look to win their second WHAC tournament title since 2018 while Indiana Tech aims to win its fifth in the last six seasons. A recap of the semifinal action can be found below. 

#1 Madonna def. #4 Taylor, 33-8 | Box Score

Madonna put the game out of reach early Thursday, scoring 14 times in the first quarter and building a 25-1 halftime lead on the way to a 33-8 win over Taylor in Livonia.

The decisive stretch came in the opening 15 minutes, when Madonna controlled possession and finished repeatedly around the cage. Rico Hart started the scoring at the 13:41 mark of the first quarter off an assist from Jackson Gradstein, and Spencer Guppy made it 3-0 with 11:18 left on a feed from Benjamin Reidy. Taylor briefly answered when Henry Cooper scored with 8:46 remaining in the quarter, assisted by Xander Bateman, but Madonna kept surging. Marcus Dochenetz capped the quarter with a goal at the 24-second mark, set up by Ross Preston, for a 14-1 advantage.

Madonna extended that margin in the second quarter with 11 more goals. Danny Smith scored short-handed with 12:06 left in the half, Hart added an extra-man goal at 2:46, and Preston scored with 12 seconds remaining before halftime to make it 25-1. Hart finished with six goals and one assist to lead Madonna, while Preston added one goal and six assists. Dylan Hicks and Cooper Regimbal each scored three goals for Madonna as the home side finished with 33 goals and 19 assists on 63 shots.

Taylor showed more life after halftime, outscoring Madonna 4-3 in the third quarter. Cooper remained the focal point of the offense, scoring early in the third at 13:37 and again in the fourth quarter as part of a five-goal day. He accounted for five of Taylor's eight goals and put nine shots on cage. Will Saxby also scored in the fourth quarter, with Jackson Dale recording the assist, and Jude Wood assisted another Cooper goal during Taylor's late push.

Faceoffs and possession helped shape the game from the outset. Madonna won 29 faceoffs to Taylor's 15 and also led 46-27 in ground balls. The hosts generated 43 shots on goal and got 14 saves from a two-goalie effort. Jonathan Bendfeldt played the first half, stopping eight shots while allowing seven goals over 30 minutes, and Ean Mihuc handled the second half with six saves and one goal allowed. Taylor goalkeeper Ben Harrell stayed busy throughout, recording 10 saves over the full 60 minutes.

Madonna also found production in special situations, scoring man-down goals from Smith, DeMario Williams and Dochenetz, while Hart converted on an extra-man opportunity in the second quarter. James Sprott answered one of Taylor's fourth-quarter goals with a strike off a Carter Borsos assist, and Dochenetz closed the scoring with another man-down goal at 3:13, setting the final margin at 33-8.

#3 Indiana Tech def. #2 Aquinas, 22-11 | Box Score

Indiana Tech broke open a competitive game with a strong second half Thursday, then put it away with a seven-goal fourth quarter in a 21-11 road win over Aquinas in Grand Rapids. Cam Fewster's late goal with 25 seconds left set the final margin, capping a night in which Indiana Tech controlled possession, won faceoffs and generated steady pressure throughout the four quarters.

Aquinas struck first when Braeden Williams scored at 13:56 of the first quarter, but Indiana Tech answered quickly and moved in front 5-3 after Joey Meier converted a man-up goal with 3:14 left in the quarter. Aquinas trimmed the deficit to 5-4 on TJ Murphy's goal with 56 seconds remaining, keeping the opening quarter tight. The home side then pulled even at 6-6 in the second quarter on Ben Cash's goal at 10:59, one of the game's key turning points before Indiana Tech regained control.

Indiana Tech responded with the next three goals and took a 9-6 lead into halftime when Evan Haney scored with 20 seconds left in the second quarter. The visitors kept building from there. Ryan Tedesco scored 14 seconds into the third quarter to make it 10-6, and Torben Aagaard added another man-up goal at 4:24 of the third for a 13-7 advantage. Jake Deacon then scored with 19 seconds left in the quarter, sending Indiana Tech to the fourth with a 14-9 cushion.

The fourth quarter turned decisive. Tedesco scored again at 14:19 to stretch the lead to six, and Indiana Tech kept pressing until Kinley Hynote's goal at the 8:00 mark made it 19-10. Fewster's final goal closed the scoring at 21-11. Indiana Tech finished with a 63-33 edge in shots, including a 38-18 advantage in shots on goal, and also won the faceoff battle 23-13, giving the visitors extra possessions across the night.

Fewster and Deacon led the Indiana Tech attack with four goals each. Fewster added two assists and put seven of his nine shots on goal, while Deacon added an assist and four ground balls. Ryan Morgan contributed three goals and two assists, and Tedesco scored three times with one assist. Aquinas was led by Collin Wildman, who recorded four goals and one assist.

In goal, Sam Park played all 60 minutes for Indiana Tech and made seven saves on 18 shots on goal. Aquinas goalkeeper Austin Hynote also went the distance and stopped 17 shots while facing 63 total attempts. Indiana Tech also converted two man-up goals, a factor in building separation after Aquinas had battled back to tie the game in the second quarter.