REISTERSTOWN, MD (January 17, 2026) -- Despite a two-goal effort by newcomer Steven Armstrong, the King's College men's ice hockey team suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Stevenson University in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) play on Saturday at the Reisterstown Sportsplex. The Monarchs drop to 2-13-1 on the season and 2-10-1 in the MAC, while the Mustangs improve to 10-5-0 overall and 9-2-0 in the MAC.
 
Stevenson opened the contest applying pressure and after a defensive block by Jayden Baldinelli, the Mustangs struck at 4:00 to take a 1-0 lead.
 
Stevenson continued to push play through the middle portion of the opening period, forcing Monarch goaltender Diego D'Alessandro into a stretch of steady work in net. D'Alessandro made multiple saves in quick succession in the seventh minute of action, then again during an extended defensive-zone sequence as Stevenson controlled possession.
 
King's weathered the pressure with shot blocks from Mikey Harrel Jr. and Baldinelli as the Monarchs survived a late first-period penalty kill highlighted by another Baldinelli block and controlled clears to close the period down one.
 
King's began to flip momentum early in the second period, creating sustained offensive pressure. Logan Gallagher and Grant Parshall both tested the Stevenson goalie before the breakthrough came. Armstrong slipped through the neutral zone on a breakout, slipping through a slew of Mustang defenders and into the attacking zone. After beating a defender on the far side of the ice, Armstrong cut towards goal while moving the puck from his backhand to forehand and beat the sprawling netminder to even the score with his first tally as a Monarch at 4:46.
 
The Monarchs carried that energy into consecutive power play opportunies midway through the period, generating a rapid stretch of shots from Parshall, Gallagher, Teodor Benno Vaage, and Zane Burleigh as King's kept the puck in the zone. Stevenson was able to clear, but King's continued to press at even strength with back-to-back chances from Landon Bechtolt. D'Alessandro later anchored a key penalty kill with multiple saves in tight during a Mustang power play.
 
Stevenson regained the lead late in the second with a power play goal at 15:58, then added another even-strength tally at 17:29 to extend the margin to 3-1. King's responded with late pressure and drew a roughing penalty in the final moments of the middle frame, establishing momentum heading into the third.
 
King's wasted no time in the final frame, capitalizing on the first shot of the third. After winning the opening draw, the Monarchs cycled through the offensive zone. Burleigh fed a short pass to Armstrong, who unleashed a wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle that flew past the goaltender's blocker side and pulled the Monarchs within one. Burleigh and Bechtolt picked up helpers on Armstrong's second of the day at 1:05, flipping momentum back toward King's.
 
Stevenson answered with sustained pressure, including a shot that hit the post at 3:36. D'Alessandro stood tall again during a long sequence of chances, making several saves in a short span as the Monarchs blocked lanes and limited rebounds. Another Stevenson shot rang off the post during a power play, with King's killing the penalty and regaining composure.
 
Stevenson extended the lead at 11:00, but King's continued to push. Cristo Walker, Bechtolt, and Denys Arkhypenko combined for a rapid three-shot sequence with less than five minutes left in the period.
 
D'Alessandro added key stops during a late penalty kill before exiting the ice for an extra attacker in the final two minutes, generating pressure in the offensive zone but failing to cash in before time expired.
 
Armstrong put his playmaking abilities on display in his second game in the Red and Gold, scoring twice for the Monarchs while winning five faceoffs. Parshall led the team with three shots on goal and 10 wins at the dot.

Baldinelli blocked a pair of shots in the defensive zone while D'Alessandro turned in a 40-save performance.

The Monarchs head home to the Revolution Ice Centre on Friday, January 23 to host Arcadia University in a MAC matchup. Puck drop against the Knights is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.