Ticking noise

Hello. The other day I hit a ice "hill." I damaged a heat shield between the muffler and the axle. It was making a grinding noise; just because the heat shield was rubbing against the axle. But now I am hearing a TICKING noise come from the area of the intake. How could hitting a ice hill mess up the engine? I also have a shield under my truck. It came with the vehicle and it protects the engine and transmission.
The car preforms great still. Also I noticed when I step on the gas the noise gets a little bit louder.