Union College vs. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Saturday, January 24, 2026 • Albany, NY • MVP Arena • 3:00 PM

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Union Game Notes

MUTUAL MEETING: Women's Hockey is set to participate in the eighth annual Mayors' Cup with cross-town rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday afternoon at MVP Arena in Albany, NY. Puck drop is set for 3:00 pm. 

LAST WEEKEND: Union fell 5–2 to St. Lawrence University and 5–1 to #11/12 Clarkson University. In Friday night's loss to the Saints, junior Maddie Leaney recorded a goal, with senior captain Stephanie Bourque earning the assist. Sophomore Karianne Engelbert added to Union's tally with an unassisted goal, while Wagner finished the game with 32 saves. On Saturday afternoon, Engelbert scored Union's lone goal on the power play, assisted by Leaney and Bourque. First-year goaltender Emma Rhéaume finished with 27 saves.

ABOUT THE ENGINEERS: Rensselaer dropped a 7–1 decision to #11/12 Clarkson University and a 5–2 loss to St. Lawrence University. In Friday night's loss, junior Kendal Davidson scored the lone goal for the Engineers, while junior goaltender Reese Keating made 26 saves. In Saturday's loss, senior Sabrina Beaudoin and junior Georgia Bailey scored for Rensselaer, and Keating made 37 saves in net.

M&T BANK CENTER
This season, Union Hockey will call the state-of- the-art M&T Bank Center its home, becoming the primary tenant of the 100,000-square-foot multi-purpose venue. The arena boasts a capacity of 2,200 for hockey games and expands to 3,600 for other sporting events, trade shows, special events, and conventions. Highlights include seven luxury suites, a spacious hospitality suite, two full-service concession stands, and an elegant bar overlooking the Mohawk River. Convenient on site parking is available, with an additional 700-space lot within walking distance.

MAYORS' CUP
Saturday marks the eighth annual Mayors' Cup between the Union and RPI women's hockey teams. Last season, Union earned its second Mayors' Cup victory in program history, skating to a 3–2 win over the Engineers. Union scored the first three goals of the game and held on over the final 30 minutes to secure the victory. All three current players on Union's roster—senior captain Stephanie Bourque, junior Maddie Leaney, and sophomore Klara Kenttälä—scored for the Garnet Chargers in the win. Bourque also became the first player in Mayors' Cup history to record a multi-point outing, tallying a goal and an assist. Last year marked the first time in history that both Union's women's and men's teams won the Mayors' Cup in the same year. Union Men's skated to a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory. Current roster member, senior Nate Hanley, scored the overtime game winning goal. 

DYNAMIC DUO
Junior Maddie Leaney tallied two points (1G, 1A) while senior captain Stephanie Bourque also tallied two points (2A) this past weekend against St. Lawrence University and #11/12 Clarkson University. With the points, Bourque is now two points shy while Leaney is five points shy of breaking the program's all-time points record of 68, currently held by Elise Nichols '07.

Leaney and Bourque are producing two of the best single season campaigns this season. 

Leaney opened Union's 2026 goal scoring, tallying the game's first goal on Jan. 2 against #15/14 Yale University. Leaney followed with an assist on sophomore Karianne Engelbert's goal later in the first period. She added another assist on Bourque's goal against #15 Brown on Saturday,
finishing the weekend with three points.

The goals come after producing one of the best first halves of a season. Leaney tallied nine goals in November, the most by any player in a single month in the program's Division I era. The month opened with a four-point weekend against cross-town rival Rensselaer, including two goals in the dominant 7-4 victory against the Engineers on Nov. 7. Leaney continued her hot streak with a hat trick, including the game-winning goal, in Union's historic overtime upset win of #4 Cornell on Nov. 21, marking the program's first win over a top-five opponent. The hat trick was the second of her career, making Leaney the first player in program history to record multiple hat tricks. She added another goal the following day against #13/12 Colgate on Nov. 22.

Leaney capped the month with two goals against Delaware, including her eighth career game- winning goal, breaking the program's all-time record. Due to her dominance, Leaney earned ECAC Hockey Forward of the Week honors twice in November, following the Rensselaer and Cornell weekends, becoming the first player in program history to win the award twice in a single season and the second to do so twice in a career. She was also named ECAC Hockey Forward of the Month, the first Union player to earn the honor.
Leaney concluded the first half of the season with an assist on Emma Fulawka's power-play goal at Harvard on Dec. 5. Through 98 career games, Leaney has totaled 34 goals and 31 assists for 65 points. 

Bourque opened the second half of the season by tallying Union's lone goal against Brown University on Jan. 3, in the second game back.

Bourque ended the first half of the season, assisting on Jill Willis's goal on Friday, Dec. 5, against Harvard, to continue a streak of recording seven points in three consecutive games. On, Friday, Nov. 28, Bourque scored her first goal of the season and recorded the primary assist on Union's final four goals in a 7-0 win against University of Delaware. Her five-point performance tied the program's Division I single-game points record, while her four assists matched the second-highest single-game total. She added her sixth point of the weekend, assisting on Maddie Leaney's goals in Saturday's 3-0 win against the Blue Hens on Nov. 29.

Due to her strong performance against Delaware, Bourque earned ECAC Defender of the Week honors on Tuesday, Dec. 2. 

Through 132 career games, Bourque has tallied 16 goals and 51 assists for 67 points. Her 51 career assists rank first all-time, while her 67 points currently rank second all-time. Last season, she broke the single-season goals and points record for a defender, tallying eight goals and 22 points.

OLYMPIC BOUND
Junior goaltender Monja Wagner was named to Switzerland's Olympic Team as announced by the Swiss Hockey Federation on Wednesday, January 7. This marks Wagner's inaugural appearance on Switzerland's Olympic team, and the first Union women's hockey player named to an Olympic roster. She is one of only four NCAA women's hockey players representing Switzerland, alongside Alessa Baechler of Northeastern University, Naemi Herzig of the College of the Holy Cross, and Laura Zimmerman of St. Cloud State
University.

Wagner, Baechler, Herzig, and Zimmermann will be teammates with notable figures including Alina Muller of the PWHL's Boston Fleet and Nicole Vallario of the PWHL's New York Sirens at the Olympic games set to take place from February 5–22. Switzerland is participating in Group A alongside the United States, Canada, Finland, and Czechia.

Wagner has previously represented Switzerland five times, including earning a spot on the National Team for the second consecutive season. She participated with Switzerland's National Team at the 2025 Lidl Hockey Games in Ängelholm, Sweden (November 5–8), and the Finnish Tournament in Lahti and Hämeenlinna, Finland (December 10–12), as part of the 2025 Women's Euro Hockey Tour.

Wagner made her international debut in net at the Lidl Hockey Games, earning her first international win in a 2-1 shootout victory over Sweden and Player of the Game honors on November 7.

Wagner secured a spot on the National Team in the 2024–25 season and represented Switzerland at the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championships in České Budejovice, Czechia. She also competed internationally with Switzerland's Under-18 Team at the 2019 and 2020 IIHF U18 Women's World Championships in Obihiro, Japan, and Bratislava, Slovakia, respectively.

BRICKWALL BRIGADE
Union enters the season with a four goaltenders consisting of senior Emily Evans, junior Monja Wagner, sophomore Sara Da Silva, and first-year Emma Rhéaume.

Wagner has started 16 games for Union this season, posting a 4–9–3 record with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. Her wins came Franklin Pierce (Sept. 26), Merrimack (Oct. 3), Saint Anselm (Oct. 17), and #4 Cornell (Nov. 21). Wagner also earned ties against Merrimack (Oct. 4), New Hampshire (Oct. 10), and Dartmouth (Dec. 6). Her losses came against #1 Wisconsin (Oct. 18), #9 Clarkson (Oct. 24), #7 Quinnipiac (Oct. 31), #13/12 Colgate (Nov. 22), Harvard (Dec. 5), #15/14 Yale (Jan. 2), #15 Brown (Jan. 3), #9 Princeton (Jan. 9), and St. Lawrence (Jan. 16).

Among Wagner's highlights was backstopping Union to an overtime upset victory against #4 Cornell on Nov. 21, stopping 43 shots. The performance came shortly after her return from the Lidl Hockey Games with Switzerland's National Team as part of the 2025 Euro Hockey Tour, held Nov. 5–8.

Wagner also recorded her second shutout of the season on Dec. 6, making 35 saves against Dartmouth. The shutout marked the third of her career and moved her into second place on Union's all-time shutout list. It also represented the fifth shutout of the season by Union goaltenders. Wagner and first-year Emma Rhéaume combined for consecutive shutouts against Franklin Pierce on Sept. 26 and 27, becoming the first goaltending duo in program history to accomplish the feat. Later in the season, senior Emily Evans and Rhéaume recorded back-to-back shutouts against Delaware on Nov. 28 and 29, marking the second time Union goaltenders achieved consecutive shutouts this season.

Rhéaume has appeared in 10 games this season, posting a 3–6–0 record with a 2.67 GAA and a .912 save percentage. She earned her first collegiate win and shutout in a 2–0 victory over Franklin Pierce on Sept. 27. Rhéaume picked up her second career win against cross-town rival Rensselaer on Nov. 1, stopping 22 shots in a 7–4 victory, and recorded her second shutout of the season and of her career against Delaware on Nov. 29. Her losses came against New Hampshire (Oct. 11), Saint Lawrence (Oct. 25), Princeton (Nov. 1), and Rensselaer (Nov. 7), #7 Quinnipiac (Jan. 10) and #11/12 Clarkson (Jan. 17). Rhéaume also appeared in relief against #7 Quinnipiac on Oct. 31 and Harvard on Dec. 6, making 18 and five saves, respectively.

Evans made her season debut in relief against #7 Quinnipiac on Oct. 31, playing 26 minutes and making 10 saves on 12 shots. She earned her first career start on Nov. 28 against Delaware, recording her first collegiate win and shutout.

GOING STREAKING
Senior Stephanie Bourque (132 games) and junior Maddie Leaney (98 games) are both riding multi-year iron-woman streaks, having appeared in every game of their three- and two-year careers, respectively. Sophomore Jill Willis also skated in all 37 contests as a first-year and has currently appeared in all 22 games in the 2025-26 season.

OH CAPTAINS, OUR CAPTAINS
Senior blueliner Stephanie Bourque will serve as team captain for the Garnet Chargers, while junior defenseman Megan Ognibene returns as an alternate captain for a second consecutive season. Senior forward Mallory Mauracher joins the leadership group as a first-time alternate captain.

COACHES CORNER
Tony Maci was named the fifth head coach in the history of Union women's hockey on July 31, 2024, and begins his second season behind the bench for the Garnet Chargers in 2025-26. Maci and his staff made an immediate impact in his first season in Schenectady, leading the Garnet Chargers to the most wins in program history and earning the team's first-ever postseason victory. Union finished the season with a 13-23-1 record and won a program-record eight conference games as part of a very challenging ECAC Hockey slate, including the team's first-ever win over a top-10 opponent with a 3-2 win at #9 Cornell University in November.

Playing a total of 19 games against nationally ranked foes, eight losses came by a single goal and Union was less than 70 seconds away from taking eventual conference champion and national semifinalist #3 Cornell to a third game in their ECAC Hockey Quarterfinal series. The squad also set new program records for most goals scored and fewest goals allowed in a season in the school's Division I era, while also earning the program's first ECAC postseason honor since 2008 with first-year Karianne Engelbert's All-Rookie Team nod.

HERE TO ASSIST
Joining Maci are second-year coaches Shawn Skelly, Tina Shortridge, and Courtney Hall. Skelly, Shortridge, and Hall were all a part of a staff that made an immediate impact in their first season in Schenectady, leading the Garnet Chargers to the most wins in program history and earning the team's first-ever postseason victory. Union finished the season with a 13-23-1 record and won a program-record eight conference games as part of a very challenging ECAC Hockey slate, including the team's first-ever win over a top-10 opponent with a 3-2 win at #9 Cornell University in November. The squad also set new program records for most goals scored and fewest goals allowed in a season in the school's Division I era, while also earning the program's first ECAC postseason honorsince 2008 with first-year Karianne Engelbert's All-Rookie Team nod.