WILKES-BARRE, PA (February 13, 2026) -- The King's College women's ice hockey team faced a tall task on Friday afternoon, dropping an 8-1 decision to No. 15 Wilkes University in their Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) showdown at the Toyota SportsPlex. The Monarchs move to 1-22-0 overall and 1-18-0 in conference play. The Colonels improve to 20-1-1 on the season and 18-1-0 in the MAC.
 
King's opened the game with a burst of offensive pressure, rattling off a pair of shots by Abby Barlocker and Sammi Stead within the first 30 seconds of play. The Colonels quickly tilted the ice in their favor, forcing Monarch goaltender Will McPherson to make seven saves in the span of just over four minutes. McPherson stood tall to withstand the Wilkes pressure and picked up timely blocks from Riley Kumrow and Stead.
 
The Colonels finally broke through at 5:59 to take a 1-0 lead. Stead responded with another shot at 8:07 but couldn't put one past the netminder. Wilkes contained play to the Monarchs' zone for the majority of first, but were held at bay several times thanks to strong saves by McPherson between the pipes while Jerrett Tietz, Maddie Vaughan, Eva Goner, Amanda Sokol and Victoria Fleury-Wright all got in lanes to prevent shots from reaching the goal.
 
Despite the collective effort in the defensive end of the ice, Wilkes doubled their advantage at 16:40. The Monarchs headed to the penalty kill less than a minute later, but a too many players on the ice call against the Colonels evened things at four aside down the stretch in the first frame. Neither team was able to find the back of the net prior to the intermission, giving King's 53 seconds of carryover power play time looking to come back from a 2-0 deficit.
 
Vaughan and Annie Sommer tested the Wilkes netminder early in the middle frame during the remainder of the power play, however the man advantage unit was unable to convert before the penalty expired. Wilkes answered with another prolonged offensive stretch, and at 9:48 of the second period the Colonels pushed the lead to 3-0.
 
 
Wilkes added a fourth goal at 19:54 to take a 4-0 advantage into the second intermission. Vaughan provided one of King's best chances of the night at 12:35 when she rang a shot off the post during a brief offensive push. Kiana Dizon also generated a chance late in the period, but solid goaltending by the Colonels kept the Monarchs off the board.
 
Wilkes continued its momentum into the third period, scoring at 4:23 to make it 5-0. The Colonels extended the lead again at 6:47, pushing the margin to 6-0. McPherson remained active in net, making multiple saves in rapid succession during sustained zone time, including several back-to-back stops midway through the period. Wilkes tacked on another tally at 15:40.
 
King's broke through at 17:25 of the third period, bringing the score to 7-1. After a tenacious forecheck forced a turnover in the offensive zone, Kumrow dished a backhanded pass to Barlocker, who finished the sequence to put the Monarchs on the board. Kumrow picked up a helper on Barlocker's team-leading fourth goal of the season, breaking up the Colonels' shutout bid in the process.
 
Wilkes answered less than a minute later at 18:04 to close the scoring at 8-1.
 
Barlocker scored the lone goal for King's and led the team with three shots and seven faceoff wins. Kumrow notched an assist on Barlocker's lamp light. Vaughan chipped in four faceoff wins and two shots, sharing the team lead in blocks with Fleury-Wright as the duo recorded three apiece. McPherson delivered another determined effort in net, making 59 saves.
 
King's returns to the Revolution Ice Centre for the final time of the 2025-26 season tomorrow, hosting Arcadia University in a MAC battle. Puck drop against the Knights is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.