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 University of New Hampshire on Friday, October 10 for President Kiss' Inauguration Game, and wraps up the series Saturday, October 11.
LAST WEEKEND: Union skated to a 4-2 victory over Merrimack College on Friday night before earning a 2-2 tie with the Warriors on Saturday afternoon. In Friday's win, senior
Amanda Quan opened the scoring, followed by goals from juniors
Emma Fulawka,
Maddie Leaney, and
Quinn Dunkle. Junior goaltender
Monja Wagner stopped 20 shots in the victory. On Saturday, first-year
Megan Duplantie netted her first two collegiate goals, including the game-tying tally with 50 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Although the Warriors prevailed in the shootout, the game officially goes down as a tie in the record books. Wagner made 24 saves in the draw.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: New Hampshire swept NEWHA opponent Assumption University over the weekend. Nina Rossi scored twice in Friday night's 5-1 win over the Greyhounds, while Kristen Hartman, Jose Linn, and Lucie Legro each added a goal. Goaltender Sedona Blair made 27 saves in the victory. On Saturday afternoon, Aurora Kahlert, Sadie Makokis, and Kelly Harty provided the offense in the Wildcats' 3-0 win, while goaltender Noemi Martinez turned aside 21 shots to earn the shutout.
RECEIVING VOTES
For the first time in program history, Union College women's hockey received votes in the USCHO Weekly National Poll. The recognition comes as the Garnet Chargers are off to their best start in program history, posting a 3-0-1 record to open the season. Union's strong start includes back-to-back shutout wins over Franklin Pierce, a Friday night victory against Merrimack, and forcing overtime with the Warriors on Saturday afternoon.
AT A GLANCE SO FAR
Union College women's hockey has already broken four program records through just four games to start the season. The first two came in the opening weekend against Franklin Pierce, when junior goaltender
Monja Wagner and first-year Emma Rhéaume recorded back-to-back shutouts — a program first. Rhéaume also set an individual milestone, becoming the first first-year goaltender in program history to post a shutout in her collegiate debut. With Friday night's win over Merrimack, the Garnet Chargers improved to 3-0 on the season, marking the best start in program history. The team also received votes in the USCHO.com Weekly National Poll for the first time ever, further highlighting their historic start.
LEANEY LEADS
Junior
Maddie Leaney opened the scoring and scored the first goal in history at M&T Bank Center on Friday, September 26, aiding in the 3-0 victory over Franklin Pierce. 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 now 23 career goals also rank sixth all-time in Union history.
BACK TO BACK BRILLIANCE
For the second straight week, women's hockey received ECAC weekly honors. First-year
Megan Duplantie received ECAC Bitcoin Rookie of the Week honors on Monday, October 6, after scoring her two first collegiate goals including the game tying goal with 50 seconds left in regulation to force Saturday's game into overtime versus Merrimack.
First year Emma Rhéaume's 19-save performance on Saturday, September 27, against Franklin Pierce secured both her first collegiate shutout and her first career win. The effort also earned her Rookie of the Week honors on Tuesday, September 30.
FULAWKA'S FIRSTS
Junior
Emma Fulawka opened her 2025-26 campaign with a goal and an assist in Friday night's win over Merrimack. Fulawka scored on a beautiful tip-in before setting up classmate
Maddie Leaney on a two-on-one rush for her second point of the night. In 2024-25, Fulawka recorded two multi-game point streaks. Fulawka has appeared in 51 career games for the Garnet Chargers, totaling seven goals and seven assists.
PAIR OF ASSISTS
First-year
Natalie Andelova recorded her first two collegiate points with assists on both of Duplantie's first collegiate goals. Sophomore
Jill Willis also picked up assists on Duplantie's tallies. Willis has appeared in 41 games for Union, tallying four goals and five assists for nine career 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 has started in three games for the Garnet Chargers, earning her second career shutout in her season debut against Franklin Pierce on Friday, September 26. This past weekend, Wagner started both games against Merrimack College, turning aside 24 shots for a .909 save percentage in Friday's 4-2 win, and making another 24 saves on Saturday to help secure a 2-2 tie against the Warriors.
Rhéaume made her first collegiate start on Saturday, September 27, 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 (110 games) and junior
Maddie Leaney (76 games) are both riding multi-year iron-woman streaks, having appeared in every game of their three- and two-year careers, respectively. Sophomore
Jill Willis also skated in all 37 contests as a first-year and look to build on her streak.
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 EXCELLENCE
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.
PRE SEASON 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.
