DANBURY, Conn. – Junior forward
Maddie Leaney of the Union College Women's Ice Hockey team was tabbed ECAC Hockey Forward of the Month, presented by Bluebird Hotels, the conference announced Thursday afternoon.
The honor is the first Forward of the Month recognition of Leaney's career and marks the first time in program history that a Union player has earned the award.
Leaney posted a standout month with nine goals and one assist for 10 points. Her nine goals are the most by any Union player in a single month during the program's Division I era.
Leaney opened November with a four-point weekend against cross-town rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, recording three goals and one assist. She scored Union's lone goal in a 2-1 overtime loss on Nov. 7, then followed with a dominant performance in the rematch on Nov. 8, netting two goals, including one in Union's five-goal first period, and also added an assist in a 7-4 victory.
The following weekend, Leaney recorded a hat trick, including the game-winning goal, in Union's historic upset of #4 Cornell on Nov. 21, marking the program's first-ever win over a top-five opponent. The victory also marked the second consecutive season in which Union has upset the Big Red. Union earned its first-ever win at Cornell's historic Lynah Rink with a 3–2 decision on Nov. 1, 2024 against the eventual 2024-25 season ECAC Hockey conference champions. Cornell, ranked #9 at the time, finished the season ranked third nationally.
The hat trick was the second of Leaney's career, with her first coming on Oct. 7, 2023, against Holy Cross. With her two hat tricks, Leaney is the first player in Union's Division I era to register multiple hat tricks. Leaney added another goal the next day against #13/12 Colgate in Union's 3-2 overtime loss.
She closed out the month with two more goals against Delaware on Nov. 29, including her eighth career game-winning goal, breaking the program's all-time record.
Leaney also earned ECAC Hockey Forward of the Week honors twice in November for her performances against Rensselaer and #4 Cornell, becoming the first player in program history to win the weekly award twice in a season and just the second to do so twice in a career.
Earlier in her career, Leaney earned ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week on Oct. 10, 2023, following her hat trick against Holy Cross, and was later named ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Month for the end of September and full month of October 2023 after recording eight points (5G, 3A).
Through 18 games this season, Leaney has tallied 12 goals and seven assists for 19 points. Through 90 career games, she has recorded 32 goals and 27 assists for 59 points, ranking second all-time at Union in goals and third in points.
