BUFFALO, NY (October 31, 2025) -- The King's College women's ice hockey team embarked on the 2025-26 season with a 9-1 nonconference loss to Buffalo State University, Saturday afternoon at the Buffalo State Ice Arena. Emma Heinrich opened the scoring with her first collegiate goal before the Bengals rallied for nine consecutive tallies. The Monarchs begin the season with a 0-1-0 record while Buffalo State picked up its first win of the season, improving to 1-0-0.

The Bengals came out of the gate with an offensive flurry, testing Monarch goaltender Will McPherson with eight shots within the first five minutes of play. The sophomore netminder stood tall against the early test, turning aside all eight bids to keep the game locked in a 0-0 stalemate.

Momentum swung sharply in favor of the Monarchs with just under six minutes into the first frame. A strong forecheck by Riley Kumrow behind the Buffalo State goal stripped the Bengal defender of the puck. Displaying excellent situational awareness, Kumrow picked up a wide-open Heinrich in front of the goal and delivered a backhanded tape-to-tape pass to the first year. Heinrich ripped a one-timer past the goaltender to put King's in control of a 1-0 lead and notch her first collegiate goal, with Kumrow picking up a helper at 5:55 of the first frame.

Buffalo State responded with a goal at 7:13, tying the game at 1-1. The Bengals continued to apply pressure, however McPherson made five more saves in a six-minute span. The King's goalie received help from Aerie Sanders and Abby Barlocker, who both got in the way of shots to keep the score deadlocked one goal apiece.

The Bengals took their first lead of the game at 15:21 before tacking on consecutive strikes at 17:36 and 17:49 to build a 4-1 lead. The hosts scored with two seconds left in the period to exit the ice with a 5-1 lead after 20 minutes.

The second period saw continued pressure from Buffalo State, but King's defenders and goaltending held firm for stretches. McPherson made nine saves in the frame before being relieved by Hayley Packer midway through the period. Packer entered the game and immediately faced a barrage of shots, turning away several including a pair of close-range attempts during a Buffalo State power play.

Abby Barlocker and Amanda Sokol each registered key blocks to help kill off penalties and slow the Bengals' momentum. Despite the defensive efforts, Buffalo State added three more goals in the second period, extending their lead to 8-1. Jerrett Tietz recorded a late scoring bid at the very end of the period, however her shot was stopped by the Bengals' goaltender.

In the third, Packer continued to battle in net, making 14 saves including a stretch of five consecutive stops in a three-minute span. Brenna Munn added a block midway through the period, and the Monarchs successfully killed off two more penalties. King's showed resilience in the final frame, with Barlocker and Sammi Stead each getting shots on goal, but Buffalo State capped the scoring with a goal at 15:47 to seal the 9-1 final.

McPherson finished with 26 saves in 32:51 of ice time, while Packer added 17 saves in relief. King's recorded five blocked shots and won 14 faceoffs. Stead, Barlocker, Heinrich and Tietz all tallied a shot on goal.

The Monarchs and Bengals finish off their two-game series tomorrow with another battle at the Buffalo State Ice Arena. Puck drop for the nonconference series finale is slated for 12:00 p.m.