ON THE ROAD: The Union College women's hockey team travels to top-seeded and national #3 Cornell University for the ECAC Hockey best-of-three quarterfinal series. Puck drops for games one and two are set for 6:00 pm on Friday night and 3:00 pm on Saturday afternoon at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, and 3:00 pm on Sunday, if necessary.
LAST WEEKEND: Union, the ninth seed, upset the eighth seed, Brown University, 2-0, in the ECAC Playoffs opening round on Saturday in Providence, securing the first women's hockey playoff win in program history. First-year
Karianne Engelbert scored both goals for the Garnet Chargers while senior goaltender
Sophie Matsoukas stopped 35 shots to secure her third shut out of the season and sixth of her career to secure the victory.
ABOUT THE BIG RED: Cornell finished the regular season with a 6-2 win over Brown on Friday and a 1-1 tie against Yale, resulting in a shootout loss on Saturday. Cornell received goals from Ashley Messier, Gabbie Rud, Delaney Fleming, McKenna Van Gelder, Lindzi Avar, and Kaitlin Jockims. Goaltender Annelies Bergmann recorded 15 saves and a .882 SV% in the win. Piper Grober scored and Bergmann saved 22 saves and a .957 SV% in the draw. Cornell clinched first place and received a first round bye in the ECAC playoffs.
SOPHIE'S SHUTOUTS: Stopping 35 shots in Saturday's first-ever playoff victory, senior goaltender
Sophie Matsoukas tied the single season shutout record at three, and career record at six. Matsoukas earned MAC Goaltending Goaltender of the Week honors for her excellent play last weekend. Matsoukas (2,991 saves) is also on track to break the all-time saves record currently held by Shenae Lundberg '15 with 3,023 saves.
ENGELBERT'S EXCELLENCE: First-year
Karianne Engelbert scored both goals first-ever playoff win on Saturday in Providence. With her two goals, Engelbert broke the school's D1 record for most points by a rookie in a season and has 24 points on the year. In her first 35 career games, Engelbert has tallied 15 goals and nine assists. Her 15 goals and 24 total points are tied for second in the single season record book. Engelbert also ranks in the school's D1 annals with her three game winning goals and six power play goals so far this season. Engelbert received #Bitcoin Rookie of the Week honors this week and was also named to the ECAC All-Rookie Team announced on Monday for her excellent play this season.
BOURQUE'S BRILLANCE: With an assist in Saturday's game, junior
Stephanie Bourque broke the blueliners' single season point record recording her 22nd point of the season. Bourque's points rank third overall in the single season record. Bourque also finished the regular season breaking the blueliners' single season goals record netting her fifth power play goal and eighth goal of the season at #10 Quinnipiac. Bourque's five power play goals rank third in the single season record and her seven career power play goals rank fourth overall. Through 104 career games, Bourque has recorded 14 goals and 33 assists for 47 points. Her 33 assists rank fifth overall.
FRIDAY'S FIRST: Assisting on both goals on Saturday, senior captain
Maren Friday became the all-time points holder amongst Union blueliners with 50 career points. Friday surpassed blueliner Cheyenne Harris '20 who recorded 49 points during her career at Union. Friday, through 134 career games, has recorded 17 goals and 33 assists for 50 points. Friday's 33 assists and 50 points rank fifth all-time.
TGIF (Thank God It's Friday): Senior captain
Maren Friday was named the 2024-2025 Mandi Schwartz Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The award honors an ECAC women's hockey player who exemplifies Schwartz's excellence on the ice, in the classroom, and in the community. A Mechanical Engineering student with a 4.0 GPA, Friday co-authored an article in the Journal of Diamond and Related Materials, conducted an honors individual project, and is contributing to an additional academic paper. Friday is a 3x AHCA Krampade All-American Scholar, a 3x ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team honoree, and a 2x CSC All-District At-Large First Team recipient. Additionally, she has received the General Electric Edison ME Book Prize and the John S. Hadala '28 Endowed Book Prize. On the ice, Friday is the all-time leader in scoring among blueliners with 17 career goals. Friday (48 points) is just one shy of tying the all-time defenseman points record set by Cheyenne Harris '20 (49 points). She is also a 2x recipient of the Union Women's Hockey Hana Yamashita '97 Award, recognizing her competitiveness, consistency, and unmatched work ethic in practice and games.
MAYOR'S CUP SECURED IN SCHENECTADY: The Mayor's Cup 3-2 victory on January 25 marked the first time women's hockey has swept RPI 3-0 in a season, taking two conference victories in November and January followed by the non-conference Mayor's Cup win. The win is the second time in seven years Union has won the Mayor's Cup having won the cup one other time in the 2019-20 season. This season marks a historic achievement, as both the men's and women's teams have won the Mayor's Cup in the same year for the first time.
UNCHARTED TERRITORY: With the victory over #4 Cornell University on Friday, November 1, Union improved to 3-0-0 in ECAC Hockey play for the first time in program history and also won three straight conference games for the first time as a Division I program. Union's previous best conference start came in 2017-18, when the squad started off with three wins in its first six ECAC Hockey games.
TOP-10 TRIUMPH: The win over #4 Cornell University marked the first time that Union had ever defeated a team ranked in the top-10 nationally. The Garnet Chargers have now beaten a nationally ranked squad in three straight seasons, following last year's 2-1 (OT) win at #15 Penn State and a 4-1 triumph over #15 Princeton University on December 3, 2022. Union is in the midst of a stretch that sees 10-of-14 opponents with current national rankings.
LEANEY LEADS: After scoring two goals on Oct. 12 versus Penn State, sophomore
Maddie Leaney became Union's active goal-scoring leader and moved into 14th place all-time in goals (15). Leaney passed senior
Maren Friday, who recorded her 14th career goal on Sept. 27 versus Robert Morris.
ADDING TO HER TOTAL: Every win for netminder
Sophie Matsoukas (33 career wins) this season extends her own program career record after setting the program standard with her 21st victory in 2023-24.
GOING STREAKING: Senior
Emma Hebert enters Saturday's game having played in all 138 games during her Union career. Junior
Stephanie Bourque (104 games) and sophomore
Maddie Leaney (70 games) also are currently riding multi-year games-played streaks, having played in every game of their three- and two-year careers, respectively.
CAREER FIRSTS: First-years
Karianne Engelbert and Klara Kenttälä both recorded their first collegiate points in the season-opening weekend at Robert Morris, with Kenttälä earning the primary assist on Engelbert's first-period tally in September 28's 4-2 win.
CHARGED UP POWER PLAY: Union went 4-for-9 on the power play against Robert Morris to start the season, led by two player-advantage goals by
Maren Friday and one each from
Karianne Engelbert and
Stephanie Bourque. The three power-play goals on Saturday are the most for the team in a game since netting a program-record four in a 6-1 win over St. Michael's on January 2, 2023.
OH CAPTAINS, OUR CAPTAINS: Senior blueliners
Maren Friday and
Emma Hebert will wear the "C" on the sweater for Union this season, the first season with a letter for both players. Senior
Sophie Matsoukas, junior
Stephanie Bourque and sophomore
Megan Ognibene will wear the "A" as assistant captains for the Garnet Chargers this season.
ANCHORING THE BLUELINE: Union returns four top-six defensemen from last season. Seniors
Maren Friday and
Emma Hebert and junior
Stephanie Bourque played in all 35 games last season, while sophomore
Kendal Davidson played in 33 games. Sophomore
Quinn Dunkle also brings a year of collegiate experience after appearing in 36-of-39 games for the University of Minnesota Duluth last season.
SOMEONE TO LEAN ON: Sophomore
Maddie Leaney will look for more success after registering one of the most productive rookie seasons in program history in 2023-24, scoring 12 goals with seven assists for 19 points while playing in all 35 games as a first-year. Her 12 goals tied for third on the school's rookie goals list (and tied for second in the D-I era), while her 19 points were seventh-best all-time and third among D-I players at the school. Her 12 goals and three game-winning goals both ranked fourth all-time overall in the program's Division I record books.
NEW BLOOD: Union welcomes six first-year players and four transfers to the program for the 2024-25 school year. The class is made up of student-athletes from three countries, two provinces and five states, and includes five forwards, four blueliners and one goaltender, all of whom will look to make an immediate impact on the program. This year's class is the largest incoming class for the program since 2017.
A NEW LEADER: Tony Maci was named the fifth head coach in the history of Union women's hockey on July 31 and begins his first season behind the bench for the Garnet Chargers in 2024-25. Maci comes to Union from Clarkson University, spending the last eight years as the top assistant for Matt Desrosiers. During his time in Potsdam, the Golden Knights blossomed into a perennial title contender, winning a pair of Division I national championships in 2017 and 2018, reaching four Frozen Fours and making the NCAA Tournament seven times. A 2005 graduate of St. Lawrence University, he got his coaching start at Division III Adrian College for three years before one season at Princeton University.
HERE TO ASSIST: Joining Maci is an entirely new set of assistant coaches as well.
Shawn Skelly spent the last six years as the head women's hockey coach at Division III Adrian College, leading the Bulldogs to a 140-22-7 record, a pair of Frozen Four appearances, and four NCAA Tournament berths in five years.
Tina Ciraulo worked with the USPHL's Metro Jets since 2020, including directing the Metro Jr. Jets girls program, and was the first woman to win a junior hockey game as head coach.
Courtney Hall played four years at St. Cloud State University from 2019-23 and spent her graduate year at Robert Morris University in 2023-24, while also working the U18 National Women's Development Camp, as well as with the Detroit Little Caesars and Selects Hockey.
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: Union will look to surprise the ECAC Hockey landscape in head coach
Tony Maci's first season, as the Garnet Chargers were picked to finish 12th in the ECAC Hockey Preseason Poll. The team received 12 points, finishing five points behind Dartmouth College in 11th place and nine points behind Harvard University in 10th.
GOODBYE TO MESSA RINK: The 2024-25 season will be the final one for Union men's and women's hockey at Messa Rink at Achilles Center, as the team prepares to move into the brand-new Mohawk Harbor Event Center across the street from campus for the 2025-26 season.
