SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - Junior
Maddie Leaney scored twice and set the program's all-time game-winning goals record, guiding the Union College Women's Hockey team to its second shutout victory of the weekend against Delaware on Saturday afternoon at M&T Bank Center.
Leaney opened the scoring in the first period with assists from seniors
Greta Kropp and
Stephanie Bourque. Junior
Quinn Dunkle added her sixth goal of the season with an unassisted tally in the third period, and Leaney secured the 3–0 victory by netting her second of the game, assisted by sophomore
Karianne Engelbert and first-year
Megan Duplantie.
Leaney tallied her first of the night, and what would stand as the record-breaking game-winning goal, at 12:31 of the opening frame, firing a shot from the bottom of the right circle into the top left corner. Despite outshooting the Fighting Blue Hens 16–5 and earning a power-play opportunity, the Garnet Chargers carried only a 1–0 lead into the first intermission.
In the second period, Union edged Delaware in shots, 8–5, but was unable to capitalize.
First-year goaltender Emma Rheaume opened the third period with a huge breakaway save seven minutes in to keep the lead at 1–0. Dunkle then doubled Union's advantage at the 12:13 mark, skating coast to coast before wrapping around the net and into the slot to a shot through traffic into the net.
Leaney added the final goal of the night two minutes later, ripping a shot from the bottom of the circle into the top-left short side to secure the 3–0 victory.
Rheaume finished with 18 saves to record the second shutout of her career. With the clean sheet, Union posted back-to-back shutouts for the second time this season. Junior goaltender
Monja Wagner and Rheaume combined for consecutive shutouts against Franklin Pierce University on September 26 and 27.
Union returns to ECAC action next weekend, traveling to Harvard for a 3:00 p.m. puck drop on Friday before heading to Dartmouth College for a 3:00 p.m. start on Saturday afternoon.