HERSHEY, PA (January 10, 2026) -- The King's College men's ice hockey team put together one of their most complete offensive showings of the season on Saturday afternoon, taking down Lebanon Valley College 5-4 at the historic Hersheypark Arena. Trailing LVC 2-1 after the first period, the Monarchs rattled off four goals in the second on their way to victory. King's improves to 2-11-1 on the season and 2-7-1 in conference play, while the Flying Dutchmen drop to 4-9-1 overall and 4-5-1 in the MAC.
 
Thomas Soucy set the offensive tone early in the first, testing the Lebanon Valley goaltender just 1:45 into the contest. The Monarchs continued to apply early pressure with back-to-back shots by Soucy and Kevin Martin.
 
King's netminder Diego D'Alessandro saw his first action of the afternoon around the four-minute mark, stopping a pair of attempts by the Dutchmen before receiving some help from Jayden Baldinelli, who blocked a third bid by LVC.
 
As the period progressed, King's began to find offensive rhythm. Logan Gallagher generated several chances, including a pair of early shots that helped tilt momentum. Martin and Thomas Soucy followed with back-to-back attempts on net, forcing saves and sustaining pressure in the offensive zone. Michael Harrel Jr. and Braydon Buckingham added shots from the perimeter as King's continued to build pace.
 
The Monarchs opened the scoring midway through the first frame after a series of strong puck possession in the offensive zone. After receiving a cross-ice pass off the boards, Baldinelli threaded a shot through traffic that was redirected by Gallagher in front of the net. Baldinelli and Landon Bechtolt were credited with assists on Gallagher's fifth tally of the season at 10:22.
 
King's took control of the game for the minutes following the 1-0 goal, tilting the ice in their favor as Denys Arkhypenko, Gallagher, Zane Burleigh and Braydon Buckingham all rattled off shots on the Dutchmen goaltender.
 
LVC got on the board to tie the game at 1-1 with 57 seconds remaining in the first period, leveling the score as the game headed into the first intermission.
 
The Dutchmen carried their offensive surge into the middle frame, striking again at 2:45 to take a 2-1 lead. King's responded with urgency, with Gallagher and Erik Hegyi generating chances as the Monarchs pushed the pace. The sustained pressure paid off when King's went to the power play.
 
After carefully maneuvering the puck around the offensive zone for the first half of the man advantage, Gallagher swung around the ice with the puck and wristed a quick shot from just above the goal line, deflecting off a defenseman in front of the net and into the goal. Gallagher notched his sixth of the season and second of the night at 6:27 with Buckingham and Soucy picking up helpers, knotting the game up at 2-2.
 
Lebanon Valley answered quickly with a goal at 10:37 to reclaim a one-goal lead. Unphased, the Monarchs continued to apply pressure on the Dutchmen defense. After a high-effort play to keep the puck in the zone, Baldinelli sent the puck around the boards to Gallagher behind the net. Gallagher delivered a no-look backhanded pass to Soucy, who chipped a one-timer past the LVC goalie to tie the game at 3-3. Gallagher and Baldinelli received helpers on the play at 13:18
 
The Dutchmen were assessed a major penalty for contact to the head, sending King's to a five-minute power play. The man advantage unit kept play hemmed in the LVC zone and generated several scoring opportunities before a Monarch penalty leveled the ice at four aside.
 
D'Alessandro was called upon to make three key saves during the four-on-four stretch before King's returned to the power play for the remaining 45 seconds of the major penalty. Teodor Benno Vaaage recorded a shot during the abbreviated man advantage.
 
Despite not converting on the power play, the Monarchs' sustained pressure was rewarded just four seconds afterwards when Benno Vaage dished a centering pass to Soucy, who ripped a shot that beat the LVC netminder glove-side, putting King's in front by a score of 4-3. Benno Vaage and Gallagher assisted on Soucy's second of the period at 19:01.
 
The Monarchs didn't let a penalty stop them from continuing to pour on the offense at the end of the middle frame. Arkhypenko extended the lead with a shorthanded marker in the final minute of the period on a feed from Martin, who picked up an assist along with Baldinelli. After 40 minutes of play, the Monarchs held a 5-3 advantage.
 
Lebanon Valley headed to the power play early in the third and immediately launched a barrage of shots on D'Alessandro, who made four saves in quick succession to preserve the 5-3 lead with some help from a Burleigh block.
 
King's was assessed two more consecutive penalties, testing the penalty kill unit late in the game. Despite a hard-fought effort, LVC eventually broke through and cut their deficit to one goal at 12:54. The Dutchmen continued to press, but several key saves by D'Alessandro and yet another block by Burleigh put the final touches on the 5-4 Monarch victory.
 
Gallagher led King's with a huge offensive performance, posting two goals and two assists. Soucy scored twice and added an assist, while Baldinelli dished out three helpers. Arkhypenko potted one goal and a team-high seven shots. In the faceoff dot, Cristo Walker won nine draws and was followed by Martin's eight.
 
Defensively, Burleigh, Walker and Harrel Jr. shared the team lead with a pair of blocks each. D'Alessandro posted a 33-save performance in net, earning the win.
 
The Monarchs return to action on Friday, January 16 when they hit the road to battle Stevenson. Puck drop from the Reisterstown Sportsplex is slated for 7:00 p.m.