WILKES-BARRE, PA (January 31, 2026) -- The King's College men's ice hockey team extended their points streak to three games on Saturday night, taking down Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) foe Misericordia by a score of 5-0 at the Toyota SportsPlex. The Monarchs improve to 4-14-2 overall and 4-10-2 in the MAC, while the Cougars drop to 4-14-1 on the season and 4-10-1 in conference contests.
 
The Monarchs began the opening period trading early attempts with the Cougars as both sides worked pucks toward the net. King's weathered a storm of Misericordia scoring chances in the opening minutes, picking up key blocks by Steven Armstrong and Bennett Anklewich, allowing the Monarchs to settle into their structure. In his third consecutive start, goaltender Ben Williams turned aside a series of shots to stabilize the opening stretch and keep the Cougars off the board.
 
King's generated its first sustained push of the first frame by working pucks into shooting lanes, producing early attempts from Thomas Soucy, Teodor Benno Vaage, and Gianmarco Caringi that were handled by the Misericordia goaltender or redirected away. The Monarchs' pressure resulted in a penalty at 15:16, creating the game's first power play and tilting the ice firmly in their direction.
 
Grant Parshall put a shot on goal midway through the power play for King's first scoring chance of the man advantage. The Monarchs maintained possession and returned the puck to Parshall, who carried it patiently toward the goal line on the far side before sending a cross-ice pass tape-to-tape to Soucy. Soucy stepped into a wrist shot and beat the Cougar netminder top shelf. Parshall earned the lone assist on Soucy's team-leading eighth goal of the season at 16:16, a power-play tally that gave the Monarchs a 1-0 lead.
 
King's carried the advantage through the closing minutes while relying on an additional shot block from Armstrong, maintaining their defensive composure to protect the one-goal edge.
 
The Monarchs wasted no time making some noise in the middle frame, establishing an offensive zone presence that allowed Parshall to fire off a shot from the slot. Although the initial shot was blocked, the puck deflected right back to the stick of Parshall, who quickly potted a shot past the sprawling netminder to double the lead. Denys Arkhypenko and Justin Spurrell picked up helpers on the 2-0 goal just 58 seconds into the period.
 
King's was assessed a hooking minor at 5:57, opening the door for Misericordia to get themselves back into the contest. After a pair of blocks by Zane Burleigh and Arkhypenko, Benno Vaage was able to escape the Monarch zone and send an outlet pass to Cristo Walker. Walker raced into the attacking zone before dropping a pass back to Soucy, who sniped a shot past the netminder's ear for his second goal of the night. Walker was credited with the assist on the 3-0 shorthanded marker - the fourth of the year for the team - at 6:52.
 
The Cougars responded with a flurry of offensive pressure, but a block by Jayden Baldinelli coupled with another Williams save brought the penalty kill to its expiration as play returned to five aside. The teams traded opportunities around the midway point of the second period before a pair of penalties cleared some space on the ice for both squads with a stretch of 4-on-4 action.
 
After winning a defensive zone draw, Parshall broke the puck into the MU zone and wristed a long distance low-angle shot on goal. The bid handcuffed the Cougars' goalie and produced a rebound that flew straight into the air, landing inside the mouth of the goal to give King's a comfortable 4-0 lead. Parshall's second of the evening came unassisted at 13:02.
 
Misericordia was assessed a penalty shortly after the fourth goal of the game, allowing the Monarchs to put their power play unit back to work. King's generated four shots in a 37 second window, but couldn't capitalize on the man advantage.
 
The Cougars headed back to the power play with just over three minutes remaining in the second period and produced several good looks, but three Williams saves held the hosts scoreless as both teams exited the ice for the second intermission. After 40 minutes of play, King's controlled play with a 4-0 lead.
 
Despite taking a penalty early in the third, the Monarchs kept Misericordia at bay with a save by Williams and a key block from Baldinelli before turning the momentum back in their favor. King's then moved to the power play moments later and generated repeated attempts on goal on shots from Parshall, Benno Vaage and Soucy that forced the Cougars' goaltender into a string of stops.

King's returned to the man advantage late in the period and cashed in on the power play for the second time when Jerry Rausch picked up a loose puck after a blocked Baldinelli shot attempt and buried it into the back of the net. Baldinelli assisted on Rausch's first collegiate goal; a 5-on-4 marker at 18:29.
The Monarchs closed the frame by managing another penalty kill with composed defending and one more stop from Williams, putting the finishing touches on the 5-0 shutout victory.
 
Parshall turned in a three-point performance with two goals and an assist along with a team-high 13 faceoff wins and six shots on goal, tying Baldinelli for the team lead. Soucy also lit the lamp twice, while Rausch collected his first college goal to cap the scoring.
 
On the other end of the ice, Walker and Baldinelli laid out for three blocks apiece and were followed by Burleigh and Arkhypenko, who each tallied two. Williams stood tall between the pipes, making 31 saves for his second consecutive shutout.
 
King's returns home to the Revolution Ice Centre on Friday, February 6 to host Stevenson University. Puck drop in the MAC clash against the Mustangs is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.