PITTSTON, Pa. ­­– Darion Benchich scored two goals while Harris Blackwood and Cade Helmer also found the net during the first period, setting the tone for the Lebanon Valley College Men's Ice Hockey team's 5-3 victory over King's College on Saturday, Jan. 11 at the Revolution Ice Centre. Blackwood also scored a goal in the third period, helping seal the win.

The Monarchs (3-10-0, 2-8-0 MAC) created some scoring chances early in the first period, but goaltender Jadon Lee came through with a pair of saves for the Dutchmen (6-7-1, 5-4-1 MAC) within 16 seconds in the opening minute. The Dutchmen then struck first 3:11 into the game, taking a 1-0 lead on a goal by Blackwood after an assist by Jordan Stear. Lebanon Valley found the net again 5:08 into the first, taking a 2-0 advantage against King's. The program went ahead by two when Benchich got the puck past the goaltender, courtesy of assists by Helmer and Cade Freer. 

Lee continued to limit the opposition as the opening period went on, delivering saves at the 5:15, 6:22, 7:12, and 7:34 marks. The goaltender also came through with a stop for LVC 8:34 into the first. The Flying Dutchmen kept producing offensively as the frame progressed as well, going up 3-0 at the 9:50 mark on another goal by Benchich, following assists by Helmer and Blackwood. Lebanon Valley then sent more shots toward the net, putting 10 more attempts on goal over the next 7:02. Lee also remained dominant over this stretch, making two more saves. 

The Dutchmen capped off the first with another goal at the 17:37 mark, making it a 4-0 game. The squad took a four-goal lead when Helmer sent a shot into the net, after assists by Benchich and Freer. The Monarchs followed this by going on a power play that began in the 19^th minute and putting four shots on goal during the remainder of the period. Lee continued his strong effort during this important stretch, making saves at the 18:33, 19:35, 19:51, and 19:55 marks. 

Lebanon Valley continued to produce defensively when the second period began, as Lee recorded a save 1:52 into the frame, and Brenden Yingling blocked a shot by King's at the 4:07 mark. The Flying Dutchmen also worked to generate offensive opportunities during the period, as Cameron Croteau, Ethan Hoover, and Benchich each took a shot on goal that was saved within a 36-second stretch that started in the sixth minute. The Monarchs countered with some shots on goal, and Lee responded with saves at the 6:12, 6:27, 8:29, and 8:33 marks. King's got on the scoreboard 10:08 into the second period, narrowing the score to 4-1 on a goal by Luke Babilon. 

The Dutchmen then went on a power play that began in the 11^th minute, and Blake Dustin took a pair of shots while Stear and Blackwood each had an attempt over the next two minutes. The Monarchs scored again at the 13:51 mark, making it a 4-2 contest on a power-play goal by Thomas Soucy. Lee faced more shots by the opposition as the second frame rolled on and delivered a stop at the 15:46 mark while King's was on a power play before making another save at the 18:14 mark. Lebanon Valley also sent the puck toward the net a couple more times before the end of the period, as Hoover had two shots on goal saved within two seconds in the last minute.

The Dutchmen added another point 3:30 into the third period, extending their lead to 5-2. The squad went in front by three when Blackwood sent a power-play goal into the back of the net, courtesy of assists by Stear and Benchich. The programs then proceeded to go back and forth defensively, as neither side put a shot on goal for the next 3:32. The Monarchs followed this with some scoring chances, but Lee posted saves for LVC at the 7:02 and 7:49 marks. The goalie also later made three stops for Lebanon Valley within 14 seconds in the 10^th minute.

King's then registered more shots, and Lee logged saves for the Dutchmen at the 12:03 and 14:52 marks. The Monarchs later scored their third goal of the night 17:20 into the third period, trimming their deficit to 5-3 on another goal by Soucy. Lebanon Valley was dominant defensively during the remainder of the third frame, holding the opposition to just one shot on goal. King's took the final shot of the contest with 35 seconds left, and Lee was there to make the save and help secure LVC's 5-3 win.

Inside the Box Score

• Benchich recorded a career-high four points, netting a season-high two goals while assisting Helmer's goal and Blackwood's second goal. The graduate student's four points mark the most by an LVC player this season.
• Blackwood scored his fifth and sixth goals of the campaign, which is tied for the most on the team. The senior also had an assist on Benchich's second goal. 
• Helmer found the net for the fourth time this winter, marking his second game-winner of the campaign. The junior also tallied assists on both of Benchich's goals. Helmer now leads the team with nine assists. 
• Stear registered assists on both goals by Blackwood. 
• Freer assisted Benchich's first goal and the goal by Helmer. 
• Lebanon Valley took 35 shots on goal. 
• Benchich and Hoover tied for the team lead in shots on goal with five each. 
• Lee made 33 saves during the victory. 
• Reece McDonald and Yingling both blocked a shot on the defensive end
• LVC posted 37 faceoff victories during the contest.
• Croteau led the team with a season-high 14 faceoff wins. 

Up Next
Lebanon Valley will return to action at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, when the team will travel to take on Misericordia University for the first of two matchups next weekend at the Toyota SportsPlex in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. 

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