LIVONIA, Mich.-- A 10-goal first quarter set the tone as Madonna rolled past Siena Heights 26-7 in dominant fashion on Wednesday afternoon in Livonia, Mich., controlling possession from the opening faceoff and never trailing in the nonconference matchup.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Crusaders outscored the Saints in every quarter, racing to a 10-0 lead after the first and extending the margin to 17-2 by halftime. Madonna led 20-4 after three quarters and closed with a 6-3 advantage in the fourth to finish off the 19-goal victory. The offensive onslaught was fueled by 68 total shots and 48 shots on goal, while Siena Heights managed 17 shots and 12 on target.
Madonna's attack came out firing early. Vincent Palumbo opened the scoring at 12:26 of the first quarter off a feed from Andrew Marszalek, and the Crusaders never looked back. Jackson Gradstein pushed the lead to 3-0 with his second of the quarter at 9:07, assisted by Matthew DiSalle, and Spencer Guppy added one of his four goals at 6:15, set up by Marcus Dochenetz, as part of the 10-goal opening frame that effectively decided the contest.

The Crusaders continued to pull away in the second quarter. Carter Borsos pushed the margin to 11-0 at 13:52 of the period on a pass from Rico Hart, and after Siena Heights finally broke through on a goal by Noah Hassenrik at 5:50, Madonna answered with more sustained pressure. Brayden Hering converted a man-up opportunity with 2:25 left in the half, finishing a feed from Evan Bunch to make it 16-1 and highlight Madonna's lone power-play goal in four chances.
Madonna's depth showed after halftime. Cameron Barber opened the third-quarter scoring with back-to-back goals, the first assisted by Makian Chamblis, stretching the advantage to 18-2 at 12:48. Danny Smith added a late third-quarter tally to push the lead to 20-3. Siena Heights found a bit more rhythm in the second half behind goals from Sean Jablonski, Marco Papadelis and Gio Marino, but the Saints were unable to meaningfully cut into the deficit against a Crusaders side that controlled ground balls 52-24 and won 29 of 36 faceoffs.

Guppy headlined the Madonna attack with four goals and two assists on four shots on goal, while DiSalle and Hering each posted three goals and two assists. Hart added two goals and one assist as the Crusaders finished with 18 assists on 26 goals, reflecting a balanced and unselfish offense. Siena Heights' Jablonski led the visitors with two goals and one assist.

Defensively, Madonna's goalkeepers combined for five saves while allowing seven goals, aided by the team's dominance in possession and on the ground. Siena Heights goalkeeper Alyx Walker faced constant pressure in playing all 60 minutes, registering 22 saves against 26 goals allowed. The result, underscored Madonna's control in every phase as the Crusaders leveraged faceoff success, ball security and efficient finishing to secure the lopsided win.

UP NEXT:
The Crusaders will be back in action on Saturday, March 14th as they head to Crestwood High School in Dearborn, Mich. to take on the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Faceoff is set for 2:00 PM.