UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - First-year Maddie Leaney scored her ninth goal of the season 66 seconds into overtime and junior Sophie Matsoukas made 34 saves to give the Union College women's hockey team a 2-1 victory over #15 Penn State University at Pegula Ice Arena Friday night.

The win over the 15th-ranked Nittany Lions is the program's second ever victory over a ranked opponent and second in the last two seasons, coming on the heels of a 4-1 win over #15/14 Princeton University on December 3, 2022. With the win, Union's fourth straight, the team also matches the longest winning streak and unbeaten streak (4-0-1) in program history that was first achieved in December 2022.
 
Just under a minute into the extra period, Union forced a turnover below their own goal line, and sophomore Stephanie Bourque and Leaney went on a two-on-one breakout. Bourque carried the puck all the way to the opposite dot before lofting a perfect saucer pass to the readily-available tape of Leaney at the top of the crease, and the first-year put the puck in the back of the net for the second overtime winner of her young Union career.
 
Penn State got the first goal of the weekend just under 16 minutes into the first period. With the Nittany Lions on the power play, Brianna Brooks cut backdoor and deposited the Mya Vaslet pass past a sprawling Matsoukas to give the hosts the first lead of the night.
 
That goal was be the only blemish on Matsoukas's night, as the junior stopped the other 34 shots she faced en route to her record-breaking 21st win of her Union career, breaking a tie with Shenae Lundberg '15. Matsoukas made 17 saves in the opening period alone, stopping a handful of shots from in close, most notably a breakaway from leading Penn State scorer and reigning CHA Forward of the Month Tessa Janecke.
 
Union wasted no time in responding though, bringing the game back even 58 seconds later. Bourque won the race to a loose puck to the red line, and her attempted clearance was gloved down by a Penn State defender to the tape of Leaney, sending her and senior Emily King in on a two-on-one. Leaney dished to King at the top of the circle, who carried right before cutting back to shake off the kneeling defender, and fired a wrist shot off the cutback to tie the game at one.
 
The middle period would prove to be a lot more even, as Union cut Penn State's shots in half while upping their own shot total to a more manageable 9-5 total in favor of the hosts in the second period. Union started to tilt the game in their favor in the third period, continuing to limit Penn State's opportunities while improving the quality of their own chances before the game was sent to the extra period and Leaney provided her heroics.
 
Leaney's goal and assist gave the first-year her second consecutive multi-point game and fourth of the season. Her second overtime winner comes just shy of three months of the first one of her career, when she finished off a hat trick with an extra period goal October 7 against Holy Cross. Her ninth goal brought her even with sophomore Riley Walsh for the team lead and her 16 points are now solely second on the squad behind Walsh with 20.
 
Penn State barely squeaked out the victory at the faceoff dot, 26-25, with Union limiting the fifth-best faceoff team in the country to a small win and the nationwide leader Janecke to an 11-20 night.
 
Union now holds a record of 3-2-2 in games that go into overtime this season.
 
Union will look to complete the weekend sweep over the Nittany Lions on Saturday. Faceoff from Happy Valley is scheduled for 1 p.m.