SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – A dominant five-goal first period paved the way for the Union College women's hockey team's 7-4 win over cross-town rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Saturday afternoon at M&T Bank Center during the program's Faculty and Staff Appreciation Game.

Megan Duplantie opened the scoring for Union, with assists from sophomore Karianne Engelbert and junior Quinn Dunkle. Maddie Leaney followed with her first goal of the game, assisted by Engelbert and sophomore Lauren Johnson. Jill Willis extended the lead as Emma Fulawka and Kaitlyn Toner added helpers. Dunkle then found the back of the net on a setup from first-year Natalie Andelova, before Engelbert capped off the first period with a goal assisted by Leaney. In the third period, both Leaney and Willis tallied their second goals of the game. Duplantie and senior captain Stephanie Bourque assisted on Leaney's tally, while Willis's goal was unassisted.

Duplantie opened the scoring just 1:09 into the first period when Engelbert fed her on a two-on-one rush, and she capitalized by burying the puck into the back of the net. Less than four minutes later, Leaney doubled the lead, deking past an RPI defender and following up her own rebound before tucking home her third attempt to make it 2-0. Willis extended the lead just over a minute later with a fortuitous bounce—her attempted pass from behind the goal line deflected off an RPI defender and into the net.

RPI pulled goaltender Reese Keating following the third goal and placed Maele Ambrass in net. The Engineers responded midway through the period on the power play, as Georgia Bailey fired a shot through traffic to cut the deficit to 3-1. However, two minutes later, Dunkle restored Union's three-goal cushion. Andelova skated up the left side, circled behind the net, and attempted a wrap-around; the rebound popped out to the slot, where Dunkle buried it to make it 4-1. Engelbert capped the explosive first period when Leaney fed her a pass from below the goal line that she fired through traffic and into the back of the net.

In the second period, the Engineers rallied with three goals to cut Union's lead to 5-4. Alyah Cioffi opened the scoring on the power play just over two and a half minutes into the frame. Four minutes later, Juliana Goffredo capitalized on a rebound to make it 5-3. With 24 seconds remaining in the period, Gracyn Mackay added another power-play tally, firing a shot through traffic to bring RPI within one.

In the third period, Leaney tallied her second goal of the game just 51 seconds in as Duplantie fed her from the bottom of the goal line, and Leaney chipped the puck past RPI's goaltender and into the back of the net. RPI pulled Ambrass just over two minutes later in search of extra offense, but Willis intercepted a pass and sent the puck the length of the ice into the empty net to secure the 7-4 victory for the Garnet Chargers.

First-year goaltender Emma Rhéaume stood tall in net for the Garnet Chargers, making 22 saves in the win.

Union has a bye next weekend, November 14 and 15, before returning to action at M&T Bank Center on November 21 and 22 against #4 Cornell University on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. and #13/12 Colgate University on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.