SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - The Union College women's hockey team fell to #9 Quinnipiac 6-1 at Messa Rink Saturday afternoon as the program celebrated Senior Day and recognized the five members of their class of 2024 postgame.
 
Following the game, seniors Celeste Beaudoin, Hope Crisafi, Kaitlyn Ehmann, Meredith Killian, and Allison Smith were each individually recognized for their commitment and dedication to the program before a video celebrating their time in garnet was played for the Messa Rink crowd.
 
To commemorate Senior Day, Union sent out a starting lineup consisting of all five seniors and fifth-year Emily King. Crisafi's start in goal marked her first appearance in the Union net in a little over two years, and the Bay Village, Ohio, native received the loudest applause and stick taps from her teammates when her name was announced.
 
Crisafi spent the first 54 seconds in net without registering a stat before she was replaced by junior goalie Sophie Matsoukas, but would come back for the final 11 minutes of the game, making four saves in her final game at Messa Rink.
 
Quinnipiac got the first two goals of the game 1:08 apart in the first period, as Julia Nearis's 11th of the season followed by Maya Labad's 13th gave the Bobcats an early 2-0 lead just over six and a half minutes in.
 
Union used their first power play of the afternoon to bring themselves back within one just over three minutes later. Sophomore Stephanie Bourque took a pass from classmate Riley Walsh after senior Celeste Beaudoin won an offensive zone faceoff, and fired home a wrister off the inside of the corner pipe to bring the Garnet Chargers back within a goal.
 
The Bobcats responded towards the end of the feverish first period however, with Alexa Hoskin's third of the campaign pushing their lead back up to two before the first intermission.
 
The second period saw no change in the score, but it did see the hosts take the lead in the shots category heading into the final period. After Quinnipiac won the first period by a 10-7 shots advantage, an almost identical tally the other way led the Garnet Chargers to a 11-7 lead in the middle frame and an 18-17 edge overall.
 
Quinnipiac responded strongly in the third to put Union away. Veronica Bac's sixth of the season extended Quinnipiac's lead back up to three less than two minutes into the period, and power play goals from Nina Steigauf and Alexa Hoskin minutes later provided the 6-1 final.
 
Bourque's goal would be the sophomore's fifth of the season, and after picking up an assist on Maddie Leaney's goal Friday night against Princeton to match the point total she put up in her rookie campaign, set a new career-best with her 13th point of the campaign with her goal.
 
The power play on which Bourque capitalized would be Union's lone advantage opportunity of the afternoon, but did see the Garnet Chargers break their 13-game power play scoreless streak. Quinnipiac went 3-for-4 on their power play chances.
 
King won a team-high 12 faceoffs followed by Beaudoin's 10, while junior Maya Jones led the team with a 50% faceoff win conversion on her 14 draws taken. King led with five shots.
 
Following the completion of the regular season, Union will now prepare for their first ever trip to the ECAC Hockey playoffs. The 11th-seeded Garnet Chargers will travel to #6 seed Yale to take on the Bulldogs next weekend, with puck drop from Ingalls Rink scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.