KEENE, NH (December 5, 2025) -- The King's College men's ice hockey team kicked off their two-game road trip to New England on Friday evening, battling Keene State in nonconference play at the Keene ICE. Despite a third-period surge, the Monarchs fell to the Owls by a score of 3-2. King's moves to 1-8-1 on the season while Keene State improves to 5-4-0.

The Monarchs opened the game with early defensive grit as Zane Burleigh and Cristo Walker blocked shots in the opening minutes while Diego D'Alessandro turned aside several bids to keep the contest scoreless. King's generated chances with 10 shots in the first period, including looks from Braydon Buckingham and Bennett Anklewich, but Keene State broke through at 10:33 and doubled its lead at 13:28.

After drawing a five-minute major penalty, King's responded late in the frame on the man advantage. Buckingham fired a shot past the Owls' goaltender from point-blank range at 18:34 to cut the Monarchs' deficit to a single goal. Teodor Benno Vaage and Thomas Soucy picked up assists on Buckingham's first goal of the season, sending King's into the first intermission with some momentum.

The second period saw King's control stretches of play, outshooting the hosts 13-9 and earning another power play opportunity midway through the frame. Despite multiple bids from Logan Gallagher and Grant Parshall, the Monarchs could not convert. D'Alessandro continued his strong performance, stopping nine shots in the period to keep the score at 2-1 in favor of the hosts through forty minutes.

Keene State extended its lead to 3-1 early in the third, but King's answered right back at 10:08. Walker finished a feed from Denys Arkhypenko, snapping a shot from the point past the Keene State netminder to pull the Monarchs within one. Walker's team-leading fifth of the season came with assists from Arkhypenko and Anklewich.

The Monarchs pressed for the equalizer, firing 11 shots in the final frame including a pair with the goalie pulled in the closing minutes, but the comeback fell short.

Offensively, King's finished the night with 34 shots and went 1-for-3 on the power play. Buckingham and Walker provided the goals, while Benno Vaage, Soucy, Arkhypenko, and Anklewich added assists. Gallagher led the team with six shots on goal, and Spurrell chipped in four attempts. Parshall dominated the faceoff circle with 16 wins as the Monarchs battled for possession throughout the night.

Defensively, King's blocked 14 shots, led by Buckingham's three and supported by Walker, Burleigh, and Anklewich with two apiece. D'Alessandro turned in a strong performance in net, making 30 saves - including 12 in the third period - to keep the Monarchs within striking distance. The King's penalty kill unit showed resilience, killing off all four Keene State power plays.

The Monarchs return to the ice tomorrow, taking on Worcester State University at the Findley Bank Worcester Ice Center. Puck drop against the Lancers is slated for 4:00 p.m.