Detroit 17, Canisius 12

I have no idea why the Detroit and Michigan previews from Saturday didn’t go up – but WordPress has tried to eat this post alive a couple times as well. I think (hope) I’ve fixed the problem.

As expected, the Titans were able to open MAAC play with a road victory. In the grand scheme of things, that’s step one toward a conference championship and a possible berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Tempo Free

From the official box score, a look at the tempo-free stats:

I had a weird feeling that Detroit would be OK on faceoffs in this game, even though Canisius has a couple decent options at the position. That prediction came through, and a stalemate was a win there.

Both teams had an awful time clearing. I’m not sure if there was some weather anomaly or if it was just a sloppy day for both, but they certainly weren’t setting any records for efficiency there.

Finally, it was obviously a rather successful day on offense for Detroit. It was a quick-paced game, and they were efficient with most of their opportunities. Based on pace and scoring, this was probably a fun game to watch, if a little sloppy at times.

Notes

The goaltending situation looks to be back in A.J. Levell’s hands with his healthy return to the lineup. He went the distance and made 10 saves, while allowing 12 goals.

It was a record-setting day for the Titan offense, particularly Joel Matthews. He scored seven goals and notched eight total points, tying a school record with the former and breaking one with the latter. It was also the most goals scored in a conference game in the young history of Detroit’s program.

As for the rest of the offense, it’s weird to me – as someone who started following the team last year, when Matthews sat out – to see Shayne Adams take such a secondary role. He still put up three goals and an assist, but Matthews is the clear focal point of the offense.

Alex Maini and Tim Lehto each scored two goals for the Titans, Tom Masterson and Troy Dennis had two assists apiece, and Scott Drummond had one of each to round out multi-point performances.

Defensively, there were no real standouts. It was a well-balanced performance, with no Titan causing more than two turnovers, but five players reaching that mark. 17 caused turnovers for the game is an impressive number, even if it came during a contest with a relatively brisk pace.

Brandon Davenport won 14 of 26 faceoffs, one of his best performances in the past two years. Nick Garippa and Tyler Corcoran struggled to 0/2 and 1/5 marks, but Davenport’s dominance (at least relative to some other games) saved the day there.

The Titans committed nine penalties in the game, well within the realm of expectation (Canisius opponents have been penalty-prone so far this season). The Golden Griffins converted only once in six man-up opportunities, a solid performance by the Titan man-down unit.

Up Next

At long last, a true home game for Detroit. The Titans face Marist on Saturday at noon from the friendly confines of Titan Field.

The Red Foxes are 3-2 on the year, with a 9-7 victory over Jacksonville under their belt in MAAC play.