AT HOME: The Union College women's hockey team continues a stretch of 10 straight home games, with a non-conference weekend series against Hockey East foe Merrimack College on Friday, October 3, and Saturday, October 4.
LAST WEEKEND: Union opened the 2025-26 season with a program first back-to-back shutout wins over NEWHA opponent Franklin Pierce University. In Friday night's 3-0 victory, sophomore
Maddie Leaney opened the scoring with the first-ever goal at the new M&T Bank Center. First-year
Reanna Loberg and junior
Quinn Dunkle each tallied their first career goals to round out the scoring. Junior goaltender
Monja Wagner stopped all 18 shots she faced to record her second career shutout in just 12 appearances. On Saturday, sophomore
Karianne Engelbert and senior
Greta Kropp provided the goals in a 2-0 win. First-year netminder Emma Rhéaume turned aside 19 shots to secure her first collegiate victory and shutout.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Merrimack split the weekend with #9 Clarkson University, dropping a 6-3 decision on Friday night before taking a 5-3 upset win against the Golden Knights. Merrimack's Avery Anderson and McKenzie Cerrato scored even strength goals while Emma Pfeffer scored a power play goal on Friday's loss. Clarkson goaltender transfer, Andreanna Doucette, made 30 saves in the loss for the Warriors. In Saturday's win, Maggie Kime, McKenzie Cerrato, Neely Hawn, Stina Sanberg and Jenna Chaplain scored while first-year goaltender, Lauren Lyons, made 43 saves in the win.
M&T BANK CENTER
This season, Union Hockey will call the state-of-the-art M&T Bank Center its home, becoming the primary tenant of the 100,000-square-foot multi-purpose venue. The arena boasts a capacity of 2,200 for hockey games and expands to 3,600 for other sporting events, trade shows, special events, and conventions. Highlights include seven luxury suites, a spacious hospitality suite, two full-service concession stands, and an elegant bar overlooking the Mohawk River. Convenient on site parking is available, with an additional 700-space lot within walking distance.
LEANEY'S LEAD
Junior
Maddie Leaney scored the first goal in history at M&T Bank Center on Friday night to give the Garnet Chargers a 1-0 lead. The tally marked her third career power-play goal and fifth game-winning goal, moving her into second place all-time in program history for game-winners. Leaney's 22 career goals also rank seventh all-time in Union history.
BACK TO BACK BRILLANCE
First-year
Emma Rhéaume's 19-save performance on Saturday secured both her first collegiate shutout and her first career win. The effort also earned her first ECAC honor, being named Rookie of the Week on Tuesday, September 30.
On Friday, junior
Monja Wagner turned aside 18 shots to record her second career shutout. Together, the pair made program history by posting Union's first-ever back-to-back shutouts, and each earned the team's Player of the Game honors following their performances.
CAREER FIRSTS
Both first-year forward
Reanna Loberg and junior defender
Quinn Dunkle scored their first career goals in Friday night's 3-0 win over Franklin Pierce. Dunkle, who transferred from Minnesota Duluth prior to the start of last season, has appeared in 74 career games and now has one goal and seven assists for eight points.
BOURQUE'S BRILLANCE
Senior captain
Stephanie Bourque assisted on all three goals Friday night, raising her career assist total to 36, which ranks third on Union's all-time list. The three helpers also pushed her to 50 career points, leaving her just two shy of 2025 graduate
Maren Friday (51) for the most career points by a blueliner in program history. Bourque has appeared in 108 career games, recording 14 goals and 36 assists for 50 points.
RETURNING ROSTER
The team is comprised of 18 returners, including nine forwards (sophomores
Mikayla Blomquist,
Karianne Engelbert,
Klara Kenttälä, and
Jill Willis; juniors
Emma Fulawka and
Maddie Leaney; and seniors
Amanda Quan,
Greta Kropp, and
Mallory Mauracher), six blueliners (sophomores
Lauren Johnson and
Giavanna Mancy; juniors
Quinn Dunkle,
Brigitte McGuire, and
Megan Ognibene and senior
Stephanie Bourque), and three goaltenders (sophomore
Sara Da Silva, junior
Monja Wagner, and senior
Emily Evans).
NEW BLOOD
Union welcomes six first-year players— forwards
Natalie Andelova,
Megan Duplantie, and
Reanna Loberg; blueliners
Isabel Powers and
Kaitlyn Toner; and goaltender Emma Rhéaume—along with two transfers, forward
Hayley Kelleher and blueliner
Peyton O'Neill, to the program for the 2025-26 season. The incoming class represents two countries, three provinces, and three states, and features four forwards, three blueliners, and one goaltender, each eager to make an immediate impact.
FORWARD FLEET
Union returns two of its top forwards from last season. Key contributors junior
Maddie Leaney and sophomore
Karianne Engelbert appeared in all 37 games for the Garnet Chargers. The forward group also features returning veterans
Greta Kropp,
Mallory Mauracher, and
Amanda Quan, along with juniors
Mikayla Blomquist and
Emma Fulawka, and sophomores
Klara Kenttälä and
Jill Willis.
Engelbert looks to build on one of the most productive rookie seasons in program history. In 2024-25, Engelbert tallied 15 goals and nine assists for 24 points, setting a new Union rookie single-season points record and tying the first-year goals mark. Her 10 goals in the first half of the season led all first-years nationally, and she finished third among all Division I rookies in goals scored.
Leaney contributed eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points, ranking second on the team in scoring. Her 15 helpers also ranked third all-time for most assists in a single season at Union.
ANCHORING THE BLUELINE
Union returns two of its top-six defensemen from last season. Senior captain
Stephanie Bourque appeared in all 37 contests, while junior
Quinn Dunkle skated in 36. The Garnet Chargers also bring back junior blueliners
Megan Ognibene and
Brigitte McGuire, along with sophomores
Lauren Johnson and
Giavanna Mancy. Transfer sophomore
Peyton O'Neill and first-years
Isabel Powers and
Kaitlyn Toner look to make an immediate impact on the blue line.
Bourque anchors the defense after a record-breaking 2024-25 campaign, tallying eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points. She ranked third on the team in scoring, and her five power-play goals tied for third-most in a Division I single season. Bourque set the Union single-season record for goals by a defenseman with her eighth of the year against Quinnipiac on February 15. One week later, her assist in the program's first-ever ECAC Tournament win over Brown broke the school standard for points by a defenseman in a season and ranked fifth among all skaters.
BRICKWALL BRIGADE
Union enters the season with a four goaltenders consisting of senior
Emily Evans, junior
Monja Wagner, sophomore
Sara Da Silva, and first-year
Emma Rhéaume.
Wagner made her first appearance of the 2025-26 season on Friday night tallying 18 saves to record her second shut out of her career in only 12 appearances.
Rhéaume made her first collegiate start on Saturday afternoon, recording 19 saves to earn her first collegiate shut out and win against Franklin Pierce.
Evans made one appearance during the 2024-25 campaign, stopping seven shots against Quinnipiac on January 3.
GOING STREAKING
Senior
Stephanie Bourque (108 games) and junior
Maddie Leaney (74 games) are both riding multi-year iron-woman streaks, having appeared in every game of their three- and two-year careers, respectively. Sophomores
Karianne Engelbert and
Jill Willis also skated in all 37 contests as first-years and look to build on their streaks.
OH CAPTAINS, OUR CAPTAINS
Senior blueliner
Stephanie Bourque will serve as team captain for the Garnet Chargers, while junior defenseman
Megan Ognibene returns as an assistant captain for a second consecutive season. Senior forward
Mallory Mauracher joins the leadership group as a first-time assistant captain.
ENGELBERT'S EXCELELNCE
Sophomore
Karianne Engelbert will look for more success after registering one of the most productive rookie seasons in program history in the 2024-25 season, scoring 15 goals with nine assists for 24 points while playing in all 37 games as a first-year. Engelbert's points broke the school D-I record for points by a rookie and tied the school's first-year goals mark. Her goals ranked second in program D-I history in single-season goals and points overall. Engelbert also scored six power-play goals to finish second on the school single-season list and tallied a team-leading three game winning goals. Engelbert's 10 goals in the first half of the season led all first-years nationally and she finished the season third among all Division I rookies in goal scoring.
COACHES CORNER
Tony Maci was named the fifth head coach in the history of Union women's hockey on July 31, 2024, and begins his second season behind the bench for the Garnet Chargers in 2025-26. Maci and his staff made an immediate impact in his first season in Schenectady, leading the Garnet Chargers to the most wins in program history and earning the team's first-ever postseason victory. Union finished the season with a 13-23-1 record and won a program-record eight conference games as part of a very challenging ECAC Hockey slate, including the team's first-ever win over a top-10 opponent with a 3-2 win at #9 Cornell University in November. Playing a total of 19 games against nationally ranked foes, eight losses came by a single goal and Union was less than 70 seconds away from taking eventual conference champion and national semifinalist #3 Cornell to a third game in their ECAC Hockey Quarterfinal series. The squad also set new program records for most goals scored and fewest goals allowed in a season in the school's Division I era, while also earning the program's first ECAC postseason honor since 2008 with first-year
Karianne Engelbert's All-Rookie Team nod.
HERE TO ASSIST
Joining Maci are second-year coaches
Shawn Skelly,
Tina Ciraulo, and
Courtney Hall. Skelly, Ciraulo, and Hall were all a part of a staff that made an immediate impact in their first season in Schenectady, leading the Garnet Chargers to the most wins in program history and earning the team's first-ever postseason victory. Union finished the season with a 13-23-1 record and won a program-record eight conference games as part of a very challenging ECAC Hockey slate, including the team's first-ever win over a top-10 opponent with a 3-2 win at #9 Cornell University in November. The squad also set new program records for most goals scored and fewest goals allowed in a season in the school's Division I era, while also earning the program's first ECAC postseason honor since 2008 with first-year
Karianne Engelbert's All-Rookie Team nod.
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Union will look to surprise the ECAC Hockey landscape under the leadership of second year head coach
Tony Maci, as the Garnet Chargers were picked to finish 9th in the ECAC Hockey Preseason Poll out of 12 teams. The team received 56 points, finishing three points behind Brown University in 8th place and 14 points ahead of Harvard University in 10th place, 25 points ahead of Dartmouth in 11th place, and 27 points ahead of Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute.
