SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – For the first time in program history, the Union College women's hockey team defeated St. Lawrence University, earning a historic 5-4 victory Friday night at M&T Bank Center.
First-year
Evie Hanson scored twice, while classmates Ella Scotty and
Lily Oster and junior
Karianne Engelbert each added a goal to lead the Garnet Chargers' offensive effort. Union (8-4-0, 3-3-0 ECAC Hockey) handed St. Lawrence (4-9-0, 2-1-0 ECAC Hockey) its first conference loss of the season, building a 5-2 advantage through two periods before holding off a late St. Lawrence rally to secure the program-defining win.
Senior goaltender
Monja Wagner was instrumental in the historic victory, delivering an outstanding performance between the pipes with 37 saves. Wagner stood tall throughout the contest, especially in the third period, when St. Lawrence outshot Union 17-7 and scored twice to pull within one. The senior made several key stops under pressure as the Garnet Chargers protected their lead through the final minutes, securing the historic first victory over the Saints and snapping a string of 44 straight winless matchups.
Union opened the matchup with a strong first-period performance, taking a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. Union got on the board at the 5:24 mark in a wild sequence in front of the net, when the puck deflected off Scotty and crossed the goal line. Classmate
Madi Gaines and sophomore
Megan Duplantie picked up the assists.
Union continued to build its lead as Hanson scored twice in the opening frame. Her first goal came at 9:52, when Hanson showcased some impressive hands with a slick between-the-legs move to beat the St. Lawrence goaltender. Junior Klara Kenttala and sophomore
Reanna Loberg assisted on the goal, extending Union's advantage to 2-0. Hanson struck again at 13:05, capitalizing on a power-play opportunity with a wide-open shot into the middle of the net to give Union a three-goal lead. The two-goal performance marked the first multi-goal game of the season for the Union rookie. St. Lawrence responded at the 15:05 mark with a goal from Abby Hehl, cutting into Union's lead. Union held a 3-1 advantage after the opening 20 minutes, out shooting the Saints 11-6 on goal and 14-13 in total shots.
The Garnet Chargers continued their offensive push in the second period, adding two more goals to take a 5-2 lead into the final frame. St. Lawrence struck first, with Ella Nancarrow finding the back of the net at the 1:21 mark to cut Union's lead to 3-2. The home team responded with back-to-back goals to regain control. At 11:24, Oster extended Union's lead to 4-2 with an even-strength goal, adding another tally to the strong freshman scoring effort. Just 39 seconds later, Engelbert found the back of the net at 12:03 with a sneaky shot that had the goaltender doing a double take before the puck crossed the goal line. Engelbert's goal, assisted by junior
Jill Willis and senior
Quinn Dunkle, gave Union a 5-2 advantage.
Despite being outshot 18-8 in the period, the Garnet Chargers continued to capitalize on their scoring opportunities and maintained their three-goal advantage heading into the second intermission.
The Saints came out with pressure in the final frame, scoring twice to make things interesting. St. Lawrence's Brooke Mulvihill found the back of the net at the 9:01 mark, cutting Union's lead to 5-3. Kendall Doiron added another goal at 11:46, bringing the Saints within one at 5-4. Despite the late push from St. Lawrence, the Garnet Chargers held their ground and protected their one-goal advantage through the final minutes to earn the victory.
Union Women's Hockey returns tomorrow to host No. 9/10 Clarkson at 3 p.m. for its annual Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Game. The first 100 fans through the doors will receive a free rally towel, while the first 100 students to check in will receive a free food voucher.
