Union at Rensselaer

Friday, December 8, 2023 • Troy, N.Y. • Houston Field House • 6:00 PM (ET)

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Rensselaer at Union

Saturday, December 9, 2023 • Schenectady, N.Y. • Messa Rink • 6:00 PM (ET)

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Union Game Notes • Rensselaer Game Notes

About Union
Union heads into their final weekend of competition in 2023 after picking up a point and a half in the ECAC Hockey standings this past weekend after their draw at #12 Princeton, their first points since conference opening weekend after playing seven ranked opponents in their last eight games. Sophomore Riley Walsh scored Union's two goals this past weekend, moving her into the top-10 in the conference, while junior Sophie Matsoukas made a season-high 44 saves in the tie.

About Rensselaer
Rensselaer will also be playing their final games before the new year this weekend, looking to regain the form that saw them begin the season with a 6-1-3 record. Senior Ellie Kaiser, graduate student Marah Wagner, and senior Nyah Philip have all hit double digits in points for the Engineers in 2023-24, with Kaiser leading the way with 14 points.

The Matchup
The 518 foes will meet this weekend for two of their three seasonal meetings, with this year's edition of the Capital District Mayor's Cup set for January 27th. RPI went 2-1 across the three meetings last year, with Riley Walsh scoring the overtime winner on home ice in Union's victory.

On The National Stage
Head Coach Josh Sciba missed Union's trip to Yale and Brown, as the Garnet Chargers leader was with the U.S. Women's National Team for the beginning of the 2023-24 Rivalry Series against Canada. Sciba, who is an Assistant Coach on Head Coach John Wroblewski's staff, has served with the Women's National Team since the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship after serving as an assistant for the 2018 Under-18 Series vs. Canada and the 2019 and 2020 IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championships. The Rivalry Series will resume next week, when the two countries meet in the cities of Kitchener and Sarnia, Ontario on Thursday and Saturday.

Bigger Than A Game
Union's home game against St. Lawrence was the program's Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Game. The initiative was spearheaded by junior goaltender Sophie Matsoukas, whose sister has Cystic Fibrosis, and sophomore goaltender Emily Evans, whose father, aunt, and two cousins have the disease. The program raised awareness about the lung and digestive tract disease, took donations for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and wore purple ribbon stickers on their helmets and used purple tape to support those in the fight against CF. The program also welcomed Matsoukas's sister Zoe, who has the cystic fibrosis, for a ceremonial puck drop. The initiative is one of two by the program this season, with the annual Pink The Rink game later in the season.

Maddie's Month
Following an impressive first month of her collegiate hockey career, first-year Maddie Leaney was honored as the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Month for the end of September/month of October. Leaney led all ECACH first-years with five goals and eight points through the first month plus, which was good for second and third, respectively, on the team. Leaney's start to her time in garnet was highlighted by her three-goal performance that included the overtime winner October 7th against Holy Cross. The Maple Ridge, British Columbia native was also selected as a Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) runner-up for their National Rookie of the Month.

Let's Get It Started In Here
Union kicked off their ECAC Hockey schedule in a big way, returning to Schenectady from their road trip with four and a half points, the most they've ever picked up on conference opening weekend. The Garnet Chargers defeated Harvard on Friday, 4-3, to win their ECAC Opener for the first time since 2017, on the backs of sophomore Amanda Quan, who picked up her first two points of the season on a goal and assist, and first-year Maddie Leaney, who recorded her second game-winner of the year with her first period power play goal. Senior Emily King's third period goal on Saturday at Dartmouth would make it a 1-1 game, and the two teams would play to a tie of that score to finish off a successful weekend for the Garnet Chargers.

Hats Off To You Two
Sophomore Riley Walsh and first-year Maddie Leaney each scored hat tricks against Holy Cross, with their third goals to cap off their accomplishments going down as the overtime game-winners. Walsh, who had the first hat trick, gave Union their first three-goal game in almost 10 years (Jessica Kaminsky on November 16th, 2013 at Yale). Leaney's achievement the next night gave Union hat tricks in consecutive games for the first time in program history. 

Season Of Firsts
Union has seen a number of players already achieve their first collegiate milestones. First-years Kendal Davidson, Emma Fulawka, Maddie Leaney, and Iliana Smith have all registered their first collegiate points, while Leaney has also registered her first goal and hat trick. Sophomore Riley Walsh also got her first career hat trick, and first-year Monja Wagner notched her first win. Also getting their first goals this season are Davidson and Smith and senior Allison Smith. 

It's Her Honor
After scoring her first collegiate goal and picking up an assist in Union's 5-2 home-opening victory over Robert Morris on 9/29, Kendal Davidson was named the ECAC Hockey Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending on October 1, 2023. The award is Davidson's first selection of her career. Davidson's nomination makes her the first Garnet Charger to be named Defensive Player of the Week since d-partner Stephanie Bourque was tabbed October 4th, 2022. 

Maddie Leaney was honored the next week, as the first-year picked up ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week honors after her hat trick that included the overtime winner in that Saturday's win over Holy Cross. The award is Leaney's first selection of her career and Union's first Rookie of the Week selection since now-sophomore Stephanie Bourque was selected this past January 5th.

100/50 = 13
In Union's 9/30 contest with Robert Morris, senior Emily King played in her 100th collegiate game. The captain celebrated the milestone in eloquent fashion, scoring a goal and going 20-29 from the faceoff dot in her landmark contest. Later in the season, King picked up the 50th point of her career with an assist on first-year Maddie Leaney's goal on 10/27 against Cornell.

Have A (Career) Night
Riley Walsh picked up where she left off after one of the best seasons in program histroy in 2022-23. After scoring Union's first goal of the season for the second straight year in the season opener at St. Cloud State, the sophomore put up a career-high four points off a goal and three assists in the home-opener against Robert Morris. Walsh also had a team-high six shots and finished the game tied for a team-best +2 rating. 

Scouting the Engineers
Rensselaer (7-9-3) is just two wins away from matching the nine-win total they put up each of the last two seasons with 15 games remaining in their 2023-24 schedule. Their seven-game unbeaten streak to begin the season was the team's best since 2005-06,  when the team went 10 games without a loss to kick off their Division I era.

The Engineers returned eight of their top 10 leading scorers from a year ago, and while top returners Ellie Kaiser (27 points in 2022-23) and Marah Wagner (17) remain atop the team leaderboard with 14 and 13 points each, respectively, Nyah Philips's emergence from seven points in her first two seasons to 10 this season have been a welcome surprise to an offense that sits in the top half of the nation. Rensselaer is averaging more than a goal per game in 2023-24 (2.58) than they did in 22-23 (1.56).

Rensselaer's defense is anchored by their goaltender, three-year starter and two-year captain Amanda Rampado. The graduate student has made 91 starts in her Engineers career, highlighted by a senior year where she was an All-ECAC Hockey Third Team selection and Women's Hockey Commissioners Association Goalie of the Year semifinalist. Freshman Andrea Trnková has also been a welcome addition to the D-core, with nine points and a +4 rating, both good for fourth on the team.

On Garnet Alert
2023-24 is set to be a year that provides many changes to the Garnet Chargers record books. Senior Emily King already has her fingerprints all over it, and will look to continue to rise up the ranks. Junior Sophie Matsoukas and senior Celeste Beaudoin also see their name in the books, and sophomore Riley Walsh is set to enter her name in multiple categories. 

Leading The Way
The winningest coach in Union Women's Hockey program history, Josh Sciba, returns for his eighth season behind the Garnet Chargers bench in 2023-24. Union will look to build off their 11 wins from 2022-23, the most in the program's Division 1 history. 

Here To Assist
Joining Sciba behind the bench are Assistant Coaches Chris Ardito, Olivia Soares, and Lora Ardoin. Ardito commences his third season with the program in 2023-24, while the current campaign with be Soares's second with Union. Ardoin joins the staff for her first season with the program. 

New Blood
For the third straight year, Sciba and his staff have brought in eight student-athletes as their recruiting class. The Class of 2027 traverses three countries, three Canadian provinces, and four states, and includes four forwards, three blueliners, and one goaltender. 

O-Zone Experience
Union returns 19 players from a season ago, including their seven highest leading point scorers. Sophomore Riley Walsh tallied team-highs with 15 goals and 22 points in her first year at Union, good for third- and seventh-most in a single season in program history, while senior Emily King, who's 41 points are good for 10th most in Union's Division 1 era, returns for one last ride. 

Anchoring the Blueline
Also apart of those 19 returnees are four blueliners that appeared in every game a season ago- Stephanie Bourque, Emma Hebert, Meredith Killian, and Allison Smith- and Union's starting- and second-winningest all-time- goaltender, Sophie Matsoukas. 

Charging Forward
Union's teams will be playing with a new name this season, as the College rebranded to the Garnet Chargers in August. The Garnet Chargers nickname was selected from a field of over 400 names submitted, and references the school's official color of over 150 years, Garnet, and Schenectady's legacy as a hub for electrical innovation and invention. Union also added a new "U" logo as part of the rebrand.

Captaining the Ship
2022-23 Captain Emily King returns for her second season wearing the "C" for the Garnet Chargers, and her three Assistant Captains a season ago- Celeste Beaudoin, Meredith Killian, and Allison Smith- have all been elevated to Captain for 2023-24. 

Shock Warning
Union was picked to finish 12th in the ECAC Hockey preseason coaches poll after their finish in that position last year. The Garnet Chargers will look to build off their 11 wins from last season to surprise in 2023-24.