WORCESTER, MA (December 6, 2025) -- The King's College men's ice hockey team battled through a high-tempo, back-and-forth nonconference matchup on Friday night, ultimately falling 5-4 in overtime to Worcester State University at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center. The Monarchs drop to 1-9-1 on the season while the Lancers improve to 4-3-3 overall.
 
The Monarchs received a multi-goal effort from Logan Gallagher while goaltender Kenny Vought turned aside 46 shots in a heavy workload between the pipes.
 
King's came out strong in the opening frame, generating early pressure led by a near-miss off the post from Denys Arkhypenko just under a minute and a half into the contest. The Monarchs continued to push with bids from Grant Parshall, Justin Spurrell, and Teodor Benno Vaage before the midway point of the period.
 
King's found a breakthrough at 12:37, when Gallagher broke up a pass in the defensive zone and caught the Lancers in transition; tearing down ice on a breakaway and wristing a shot past the goaltender's blocker side. Gallagher's second goal of the season came unassisted and gave King's a 1-0 advantage.
 
After the hosts tied the game 28 seconds later, the Monarchs continued to generate looks, with Artsiom Barashkin and Thomas Soucy both registering a pair of shots on goal. At the other end of the ice, Vought delivered several key stops to hold the contest at 1-1 after the first 20 minutes.
 
The Monarchs kept the tempo high to open the second period with three shots from Parshall along with an attempt by Kevin Martin, but fell behind 2-1 at 6:59.
 
King's answered with a sustained flurry of attacking pressure, leading to the equalizer at 16:17. While on the penalty kill, Arkhypenko picked up a loose puck in open space and tore down the ice into the attacking zone  with Martin sneaking through traffic to his left. Arkhypenko dished a pass to Martin, who quickly transitioned to his backhand and beat the goalie to the inside post to level the game at 2-2. Arkhypenko picked up an assist on Martin's first of the season.
 
King's entered the third period with energy and urgency, firing early shots from Barashkin, Landon Bechtolt, and Teodor Benno Vaage before Gallagher struck again at 2:41. After an excellent forecheck by Soucy produced a turnover deep in the Worcester State zone, Gallagher fired two shots on goal and picked up his own rebound twice in a row. On the third attempt, he banked the shot from the end boards off the back of the goaltender and into the net for his second of the night to reclaim a 3-2 advantage.
 
The Monarchs extended their lead moments later when a power-play opportunity at 6:37 set the stage for Barashkin. At 6:56, the freshman hammered a shot through traffic from the left side, converting the man-advantage to give King's a 4-2 cushion. Bechtolt was credited with an assist on Barashkin's fourth of the season.
 
Worcester State surged late, scoring twice in the final seven minutes to knot the contest at 4-4. King's continued to battle through the closing moments with a shot from Parshall and key defensive efforts from Burleigh and Braydon Buckingham, while Vought made multiple strong saves to force overtime.
 
The extra frame ended quickly, as the hosts capitalized on their first rush 12 seconds into OT to secure the 5-4 result.
 
Gallagher led the offense with a pair of goals on six shots. Barashkin and Parshall added five atttempts each. Parshall dominated the faceoff circle, winning 23 of 39 draws as Martin contributed 13 wins of his own.

Defensively, Buckingham recorded two blocks, with Bechtolt and Burleigh adding one apiece. The Monarchs went 1-for-2 on the power play and killed three of four penalties. Vought turned aside 38 saves between the pipes.
 
King's now turns its attention to Saturday, December 6, when the Monarchs return to the Revolution Ice Centre for a 4:00 p.m. matchup against Misericordia University. Prior to puck drop, the program will honor Vought with a Senior Day ceremony.