PITTSTON, PA (November 8, 2024) -- The Monarchs knotted the game in the second period, but a costly third period saw the King's College men's ice hockey team fall, 5-2, to Wilkes University at the Revolution Ice Centre on Friday night. With the loss in their Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) opener, the Monarchs drop to 0-2-0 overall and 0-1-0 in the MAC, while the Colonels improved to 1-1-0 with a 1-0-0 conference mark.
 
Wilkes (1-1-0, 1-0-0 MAC) wasted no time getting on the board, scoring in the first 49 seconds of play. King's (0-2-0, 0-1-0 MAC) settled in as the teams traded looks at the goal before the Monarchs tied the game when Erik Borshchevsky and Kent Lee found Ethan Hersant for an even-strength goal 10:56 into the game. The Colonels responded, taking the 2-1 lead with 53 seconds left in the first to go into the first intermission up one score.
 
The Monarchs controlled much of the second, holding a 10-9 edge in shots for the period. King's had the early spurt, firing off five shots in the first 2:50 of the second.
After a few trips into the Colonels offensive zone, Alexander Ray won back-to-back face offs to give King's the puck. Out of the circle, Teodor Benno Vaage fed Braydon Buckingham for his first collegiate goal as the game was tied again, 2-2, with 13:53 remaining in the second. The teams matched each other's energy down the stretch as they went into the final break still knotted at two a piece.
 
The final period in the game went to the Colonels as the visitors scored a power-play goal with 14:25 to play. King's tried to find the equalizer, and with 1:20 left pulled Matt Bidini out of the goal. Wilkes capitalized, scoring their insurance tally 10 seconds later before putting the exclamation mark on the game with 35 ticks remaining as the Monarchs dropped the 5-2 decision at the Revolution Ice Centre on Friday night.
 
Hersant scored his first goal of the season while adding 12 face off wins and three blocks, while Buckingham got in the scoring column with his second-period tally. Ray and Lee each added three shots to lead the offense, while Bidini made 30 saves in the net for the Monarchs.
 
Both Carter Jordan and Max Cocchi scored twice for the Colonels, with Cocchi tallying three shots and 14 face off wins. Jack Perna earned the win, collecting 17 saves in net.
 
As a team, the Monarchs had the 13-7 edge in blocked shots in the setback.
 
King's will return to the Revolution Ice Centre tomorrow afternoon as they host the Colonels to wrap up the weekend series. Puck drop is set for 4:00 p.m. in the MAC match up.