Abbey Murphy is known for playing gritty. But the Gophers forward can put a pretty spin on things, too.
She gave her team the best of both Friday, pacing the Gophers to a 4-2 victory over top-ranked Ohio State at Ridder Arena. In a fast, fierce game between the top two teams in the WCHA, Murphy put on a bravura performance, scoring the game-winner with some fancy moves while demonstrating the toughness the No. 3 Gophers needed to stay atop the league standings.
The victory was the 13th in a row for the Gophers (23-3-2, 20-1-2 WCHA), who remain undefeated in 13 games this season at Ridder Arena. It ended a 10-game win streak for Ohio State (24-3-2, 19-3-1), which is winless in three games against the Gophers this season.
The Gophers were solid in all areas. Goaltender Skylar Vetter made 31 saves, and her teammates provided outstanding support, blocking 20 Buckeyes shots.
Murphy stole the show. Her first goal, scored after skating through the neutral zone and shedding two Ohio State defenders, put the Gophers ahead 3-0 at eight minutes, 44 seconds of the second period. Her second came at 13:46 of the third, halting a Buckeyes rally that pulled them within 3-2.
"There were a lot of eyeballs popping on that one," Gophers coach Brad Frost said of Murphy's first goal. "She's just so gifted. She got two penalties and came back after each of those and had two big goals for us.''
That, Frost said, is the best revenge. While Murphy acknowledged the importance of playing gritty hockey against the hard-edged Buckeyes — "that's right up my alley," she said — the pretty side was a bonus.
"That goal was very fun," said Murphy, who has 20 goals this season. "The momentum shift is just insane for our team. It just gets everyone going."
The Gophers needed a little push after a rough beginning. In a game that matched the top two offenses in the country, Ohio State got the upper hand early, outshooting the Gophers 5-1 in the first five minutes.
Vetter held steady, and Murphy said the Gophers "took a deep breath" to settle in. They outshot the Buckeyes 13-4 through the rest of the period, taking a 1-0 lead when Peyton Hemp scored on a beautiful pass from Josefin Bouveng.
Taylor Heise kept the playmaking going in the second. Only 49 seconds in, she spotted Abigail Boreen open on the back door, delivering a perfect feed to put the Gophers ahead 2-0. Heise also assisted on both of Murphy's goals, including the showstopping move on the power play that saw her skate through the Buckeyes' defense to score from the right circle.
Ohio State's first goal, from Gabby Rosenthal at 12:36, came as the net was knocked off its moorings and survived a video review. Jenn Gardiner added the second on a power play only 16 seconds into the third.
"That was definitely a punch in the gut," Murphy said. "But we still had 20 minutes left. We got together and said, 'Let's do it. Let's go out and put more in the net."
She handled that part, too, scoring on another slick pass from Heise to nail down the victory. Vetter took on the gritty role late in the game, stopping 14 of 15 Buckeyes shots.
The next goal is to do it again in Saturday's rematch.
"Big win here," Frost said. "Obviously, [Saturday's game] is the biggest game of the year, and we want to do everything we can to win it. But I really like where our team is at."
