SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - Junior Maddie Leaney of the Union College Women's Hockey team netted a hat trick to lift the Garnet Chargers to a 4-3 overtime upset victory against #4/5 Cornell University Friday night at M&T Bank Center, marking the first top-five victory in program history.

The hat trick marks the second of Leaney's career, having previously recorded one as a first-year on October 7, 2023, against the College of the Holy Cross. With her three-goal performance tonight, Leaney became the first player in Union's Division I program history to register multiple hat tricks. Her overtime winner also brings her career total to seven game-winning goals, tying her for first in program history. With three points on the night, Leaney moves into third place on the all-time career points list with 57 — just one point shy of second place.

Sophomore Karianne Engelbert added a goal of her own and assisted on all three of Leaney's tallies. First-year Megan Duplantie and senior Stephanie Bourque each recorded two assists — contributing on Engelbert's goal and one of Leaney's. Junior Emma Fulawka also added an assist on Leaney's first goal.

Union struck first midway into the opening period on the power play. Engelbert fired a shot from the slot off a feed from Fulawka, and slid the rebound to the right side of the crease for Leaney to bury to give Union a 1–0 lead.

Five minutes later, the Big Red answered on the power play, with Piper Grober firing through traffic to make it 1–1. Cornell held a narrow 15–11 shot advantage as the teams headed into the first intermission.

Midway through the second, Leaney struck again on the power play to give Union a 2–1 lead. Engelbert tipped Bourque's shot, and the rebound popped out for Leaney to finish. Union entered the second intermission with a 2–1 lead and held a narrow 17–15 edge in shots.

However, Cornell scored the shorthanded equalizer just under two minutes into the third period, as Beatrice Perron-Roy skated down the right side and fired the puck into the top left corner of the net.

Engelbert capitalized on the same power play 50 seconds later to give Union a 3–2 lead, tipping home a shot from Duplantie into the back of the net.

Cornell pulled even at three midway through the third period on the power play. Cornell's Alyssa Regalado fired the puck through traffic into the back of the net. Despite being outshot 13–4 in the third, Union junior goaltender Monja Wagner came up with crucial saves to force overtime.

Leaney netted the overtime game-winning goal with just over two minutes remaining in the five-minute extra frame, as Duplantie found her wide open in front of the net. Leaney deked Cornell goaltender Annelies Bergmann and tucked the puck home to seal the 4–3 victory for the Garnet Chargers. Wagner also turned aside 43 shots to help secure the upset win over the Big Red.

Union wraps up the weekend series against #13/12 Colgate University, tomorrow, at 3:00 pm at M&T Bank Center.