PITTSTON, Pa. ­­– The Lebanon Valley College men's ice hockey team started 2026 with a win, delivering an exciting 5-1 victory over King's College on Friday, Jan. 9 at the Revolution Ice Centre. 

The Flying Dutchmen (4-8-1, 4-4-1 MAC) received several contributions during the win, as five players netted a goal and eight tallied at least one point. Cade Helmer recorded a goal and two assists for three points, while Cody Walker had three assists to tie the single-game program record for assists and match the game-high in points. Artur Kondrashov's first career goal also provided the game-winner, while Jack Foote found the net for the first time in his career as well. 

The Dutchmen battled defensively early in the game, as goaltender Chris Branch made six saves while Mason Proskin, Owen Ames, and Garret Jackson each blocked a shot during the first 4:33. Lebanon Valley then opened the scoring 4:59 into the first period, taking a 1-0 lead over the Monarchs (1-11-1, 1-7-1 MAC). The program struck first on a goal by Foote, courtesy of assists by Walker and Max Kontir. The teams proceeded to go back and forth over the next nine minutes, putting five shots on goal each during this stretch. King's went on a power play in the 13th minute, and LVC responded with three stops by Branch and blocks by Ames and Anton Petrovskiy during a successful penalty kill. 

Lebanon Valley began a power play in the 16th minute of the first period, which led to Kontir, Mason Proskin, and Troy Andrews each tallying a shot that was saved during this stretch. The Flying Dutchmen went on to register two more shots during the rest of the frame. The Monarchs took the last shot of the first, which was saved by Branch with 42 seconds to go. 

The programs competed defensively at the beginning of the second period, as each squad logged two shots on target that were saved during the first 8:17 of the frame. The Dutchmen found the net again at the 8:19 mark, taking a 2-0 advantage. Artur Kondrashov sent the puck past the goaltender for the program's second goal, after assists by Artem Kondrashov and Jesse Shogan. King's then took a shot 17 seconds later, and Branch came through with a save. The teams followed this by continuing to produce defensively, as neither side recorded a shot on goal over the next five minutes. 

The Monarchs began a power play in the 14th minute of the second period, and Branch answered with three saves for the Flying Dutchmen during a successful penalty kill. Lebanon Valley later added a tally 17:24 into the frame, going ahead 3-0 on a power-play goal by Helmer. Ames and Walker were credited with assists on the program's third goal of the night. LVC proceeded to register the last two shots on goal of the second period, which were saved. The Dutchmen outshot the opposition 8-6 in the second period. 

Lebanon Valley and King's traded shots at the start of the third period, as each program put four shots on target that were saved during the first 6:53 of the frame. The Monarchs then went on a power play in the seventh minute, and Branch delivered three more saves for LVC during another successful penalty kill. The Flying Dutchmen followed this with a shot by Jordan Stear and a shot by Lukas Washco within nine seconds in the 10th minute. 

The Dutchmen started a power play in the 11th minute of the third period and capitalized on the one-skater advantage, claiming a 4-0 lead. The squad scored again at the 10:53 mark with a power-play goal by Kontir, following assists by Walker and Helmer. The programs then went back and forth defensively, as LVC had four shots saved, including three during a power play, while Branch made two more saves over the next 5:33. Lebanon Valley later tacked on an insurance point at the 17:07 mark, making it a 5-0 contest. The team went up by five due to a goal by Ames, after an assist by Helmer. The Monarchs then got on the board with a goal by Cristo Walker at the 18:53 mark, narrowing the score to 5-1. LVC went on to preserve its lead through the end of play, securing the victory. 

Inside the Box Score

• Artur Kondrashov scored his first career goal, which proved to be the game-winner. 
• Helmer tied a career-high and game-high three points with his fourth goal of the season and two assists, which matched a career-high. 
• Foote netted his first career goal and blocked one shot on the defensive end. 
• Ames tallied his seventh goal of the year, an assist, and a season-high eight faceoff wins. The first-year also tied a season-high two blocks on the defensive end. 
• Kontir found the net for the second time this season, while assisting Foote's goal. The sophomore won eight faceoffs as well. 
• Walker recorded a game-high and season-high three assists, while tying a single-game program record. The sophomore also tied a game-high three points. 
• Shogan dished out an assist on Artur Kondrashov's game-winning goal. 
• Artem Kondrashov logged an assist on Artur Kondrashov's game-winning goal.
• Branch recorded a game-high 30 saves. 
• Lebanon Valley outshot King's 32-31. 
• Defensively, the Flying had an 18-10 advantage in blocked shots. 
• Aidan Bright and John King tied a game-high three blocks. This marked Bright's most blocked shots in a game. 
• LVC had a 37-31 advantage in faceoff victories. 
• King tied a game-high 12 faceoff wins, marking a career-high.  

Up Next
The Dutchmen will return to action tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 10, at 4 p.m., when the program will host the Monarchs at Hersheypark Arena. 

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