AT HOME: Women's Hockey concludes its regular season, opening with a match up against Dartmouth on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. The weekend wraps up with Senior Day against Harvard at 3:00 p.m., honoring five seniors:
Amanda Quan,
Emily Evans,
Greta Kropp, alternate captain
Mallory Mauracher, and captain
Stephanie Bourque.
LAST WEEKEND: Women's Hockey dropped a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Colgate on Friday night. Sophomore
Karianne Engelbert opened the game's scoring, scoring the lone goal for the Garnet Chargers with first-year
Megan Duplantie assisting. First-year goaltender
Emma Rhéaume played a fantastic game, tallying 40 saves in net. On Saturday, Union dropped a 5-0 loss to #11 Cornell. Sophomore
Sara Da Silva made her first collegiate appearance, tallying three saves in relief. Rhéaume finished the night with 35 saves.
ABOUT THE BIG GREEN: Dartmouth dropped a 5–0 loss to #7/6 Princeton and a 3–0 defeat against #8/6 Quinnipiac. Goaltender Jiahui Zhan made 36 saves in the loss to the Tigers and followed with 33 saves against the Bobcats.
ABOUT THE CRIMSON: Harvard skated to a 1–1 tie and earned a shootout win against #8/6 Quinnipiac on Friday night before upsetting #7/6 Princeton, 3–2, on Saturday afternoon. Angelica Megdanis tallied the lone goal for the Crimson in Friday's tie, while goaltender Ainsley Tuffy recorded 30 saves. Carla McSweeney netted the shootout winner to lift Harvard over the Bobcats. In Saturday's win against the Tigers, Morgan McGathey scored twice, with Ella Lucia adding the other goal. Tuffy tallied 38 saves between the pipes to help secure the victory.
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.
SENIOR NIGHT
Women's Hockey will celebrate its five seniors—
Amanda Quan,
Greta Kropp,
Emily Evans, alternate captain
Mallory Mauracher, and captain
Stephanie Bourque—on Saturday afternoon following the game against Harvard University at 3:00 p.m.
Quan, Kropp, Evans, and Bourque are four-year seniors, while Mauracher is a two-year senior.
In 110 career games, Quan has recorded nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points.
Kropp has appeared in 116 games, tallying three goals and eight assists for 11 points.
Between the pipes, Evans has played 429 minutes across 11 games, posting a 4.05 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage.
In 66 games at Union, Mauracher has totaled six goals and four assists for 10 points. Prior to Union, she added two goals in 21 games at Quinnipiac.
Bourque has appeared in every single game since arriving at Union, bringing her total to 137. She has tallied 16 goals and 52 assists for 68 career points.
ENGELBERT'S EXCELLENCE
With a goal against Colgate on Friday afternoon, sophomore
Karianne Engelbert tied the program's all-time single-season points record with 27 points, matching the mark set by Riley Walsh during the 2023–24 season. Engelbert has tallied 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points. Six of her 13 goals have come on the power play, which ranks second all-time and matches a personal best she set during her rookie season.
Engelbert previously set the rookie all-time single-season points record last year, finishing with 24 points after scoring two goals against Brown on February 22, 2025, at Meehan Auditorium in Union's first-ever playoff win in program history. Her excellence during her rookie campaign earned her a spot on the ECAC All-Rookie Team.
Through 66 career games, Engelbert has tallied 28 goals and 23 assists for 51 points.
DYNAMIC DUO
With two goals on Jan. 26 against Brown, junior
Maddie Leaney tied senior captain
Stephanie Bourque for Union's all-time points record with 68, a mark that had stood for 19 years by Elise Nichols '07. Leaney's two goals also tied her for the single-season goals record with 16, set by Katelyn Russ '20 during the 2017–18 season. Ten of Leaney's 16 goals this season have come against ECAC opponents.
Leaney and Bourque are both having standout seasons, producing some of the best single-season campaigns in program history.
Leaney opened Union's 2026 goal scoring by tallying the game's first goal on Friday, January 2 against #15/14 Yale University. She followed with an assist on sophomore
Karianne Engelbert's goal later in the first period. The next day, she added another assist on Bourque's goal against #15 Brown on Saturday, January 3, finishing the weekend with three points.
Leaney followed up recording two points—a goal against St. Lawrence University on Friday, January 16 and an assist against #11/12 Clarkson University on Saturday, January 17.
Her standout performances came after an exceptional first half of the season. In November, Leaney tallied nine goals, the most by any player in a single month in Union's Division I era. The month began with a four-point weekend against crosstown rival Rensselaer, including two goals in a 7-4 victory on Saturday, November 7. Leaney continued her hot streak with a hat trick, including the game-winning goal, in Union's historic overtime upset of #4 Cornell on Friday, November 21—the program's first victory over a top-five opponent. This was the second hat trick of her career, making her the first player in program history to record multiple hat tricks. She added another goal the following day against #13/12 Colgate.
Leaney capped the month with two goals against Delaware, including her eighth career game-winning goal, breaking the program's all-time record. Her dominance earned her ECAC Hockey Forward of the Week honors twice in November—following the Rensselaer and Cornell weekends—making her the first player in program history to earn 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 receive the honor.
She concluded the first half of the season with an assist on
Emma Fulawka's power-play goal at Harvard on Friday, December 5. Through 103 career games, Leaney has totaled 36 goals and 32 assists for 68 points.
Bourque tallied an assist in the Mayors' Cup 4-3 victory on Saturday, January 24, tying the all-time points record.
She also opened the second half of the season by scoring Union's lone goal against Brown University on Saturday, January 3, in the second period.
Bourque ended the first half of the season by assisting on
Jill Willis's goal on Friday, December 5, against Harvard, extending her streak to seven points in three consecutive games. On Friday, November 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 over the 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 by assisting on
Maddie Leaney's goal in Saturday's 3-0 win against the Blue Hens on Saturday, November 29.
Following her strong showing against Delaware, Bourque earned ECAC Defender of the Week honors on Tuesday, December 2.
Through 135 career games played, Bourque has recorded 16 goals and 52 assists for a total of 68 career 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 17 games for Union this season, posting a 5–9–3 record with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. Her wins came against Franklin Pierce (Sept. 26), Merrimack (Oct. 3), Saint Anselm (Oct. 17), #4 Cornell (Nov. 21), and Rensselaer (Jan. 24). 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 12 games this season, posting a 3–9–0 record with a 3.02 GAA and a .911 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), #11/12 Clarkson (Jan. 17), Yale (Jan. 31), Colgate (Feb. 6) and #12 Cornell (Feb. 7). Rhéaume also appeared in relief against #7 Quinnipiac on Oct. 31 and Harvard on Dec. 6, making 18 and five saves, respectively.
Evans has made three appearances in net this season. 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. Evans made her second season start against Brown University on Friday, January 30, tallying 22 saves in the loss.
GOING STREAKING
Senior
Stephanie Bourque (137 games) and junior
Maddie Leaney (103 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 31 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 assistant captain for a second consecutive season. Senior forward
Mallory Mauracher joins the leadership group as a first-time assistant 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 honor since 2008 with first-year
Karianne Engelbert's All-Rookie Team nod.
