PITTSTON, PA (January 9, 2026) -- The King's College men's ice hockey team returned to action for the first time in 2026 on Friday evening at the Revolution Ice Centre, dropping a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) contest to Lebanon Valley College by a score of 5-1. The Monarchs fall to 1-11-1 on the season and 1-7-1 in conference play, while the Flying Dutchmen improve to 4-8-1 overall and 4-4-1 in the MAC.
 
The Monarchs generated early momentum in the opening minutes, beginning with Grant Parshall's shot 16 seconds in and continuing with a flurry that included attempts by Denys Arkhypenko, Artsiom Barashkin, Braydon Buckingham, and Zane Burleigh. King's kept sustained pressure in the offensive zone, forcing multiple saves and blocks as the opening stretch tilted toward the Dutchmen end.
 
Lebanon Valley responded with an even-strength goal at the 4:59 mark of the first period to take a 1-0 lead. King's continued to press despite the goal, with Parshall, Logan Gallagher, and Thomas Soucy all generating chances as the Monarchs looked to answer.
 
King's killed off the game's first penalty midway through the opening period, blocking several shots in quick succession. Kevin Martin and Michael Harrel Jr. each stepped into shooting lanes as the Monarchs limited second-chance opportunities. Ben Williams steadied the game with multiple saves during the kill and again late in the frame as Lebanon Valley applied pressure in the closing minutes.
 
The second period opened with another King's push, highlighted by a stretch of consecutive attempts from Teodor Benno Vaage, Buckingham, Gallagher, and Gianmarco Caringi. Despite the sustained zone time, the Duchmen doubled their lead at 8:19 with an even-strength goal.
 
King's answered with urgency following the goal. Parshall generated multiple looks, and Jayden Baldinelli and Gallagher added shots during another extended sequence. At 12:03, Bennett Anklewich rang a shot off the post that fell into the crease and nearly trickled over the goal line, marking the closest chance of the night to that point as the Monarchs continued to search for a breakthrough.
 
A late second-period power play gave King's additional momentum, with Gallagher, Landon Bechtolt, and Benno Vaage all testing the goaltender. Lebanon Valley, however, converted on its own power play at 17:24 to extend the margin to 3-0 before the intermission.
 
The third period saw King's continue to battle, opening with chances from Caringi and Baldinelli while Williams turned aside multiple early shots to keep the deficit manageable. The Monarchs drew a penalty at 6:54 and generated several looks from Benno Vaage, Walker Cristo, Buckingham, and Baldinelli during a sustained offensive-zone sequence.
 
The Dutchmen capitalized on a power play at 10:53 to push the lead to 4-0. King's continued to compete shift by shift, with Burleigh firing consecutive shots midway through the period and Gallagher adding pressure as the Monarchs refused to let up.
 
After another LVC goal at 17:07, King's broke through late. At 18:53, Walker chased a dump-in by Buckingham to the near-side corner of the ice and took advantage of a miscue by the Dutchmen's netminder, burying a low-angle shot into the unattended goal. Buckingham assisted on Walker's sixth goal of the season, providing a spark in the closing minutes and ending Lebanon Valley's bid for a shutout.
 
Walker led King's offensively with the lone goal, while six Monarchs shared the team lead with three shots apiece. Parshall won a team-high 12 draws at the faceoff dot while Bechtolt and Walker each contributed eight wins.
 
Martin and Baldinelli both laid out for a trio of blocked shots to lead the team defensively. Between the pipes, Williams made 27 saves in his first appearance of the season.
 
King's returns to action tomorrow with a road matchup at Lebanon Valley. Puck drop against the Flying Dutchmen is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.