Abbey Murphy tied a Gophers single-game record with seven points (three goals and four assists) and Nelli Laitinen had a hat trick and an assist as the No. 3 Gophers women’s hockey team skated to a 14-2 victory over Sacred Heart on Saturday, Jan. 3, in Fairfield, Conn.
The 14 goals were a single-game record for the Gophers (16-4). The previous single-game record was 12 goals, most recently coming in a 12-0 victory over St. Cloud State on Dec. 5, 2014, at Ridder Arena.
Murphy, who on Friday was named to her second consecutive United States Olympic team, equaled the previous record of seven points held by Sarah Potomak (2015), Hannah Brandt (2014) and Nadine Muzerall (2000). Murphy also moved past Krissy Wendell into fourth place on the school’s career scoring list with 238 career points. The initial box score after the game credited Murphy with a fifth assist, but that was subsequently removed.
In 20 games this season, Murphy has 24 goals and 19 assists. She had a goal and an assist in the Gophers’ 4-0 victory in the series opener on Friday.
The Gophers led 2-0 after one period, scored five times in the second period and then seven more in the third as they had a season-high 63 shots on goal, a day after they had 52 against the Pioneers (5-14-1).
“It was a great game,” Gophers coach Brad Frost told reporters in Connecticut. “We started very quickly. We only got two on the board [in the first period], but we were playing the right way. We took another step in the second period. Tons of things that we’ve been working on in regards to our offensive zone play and it paid off here tonight.”
The seven goals in the third period, which included two by Murphy and one by Laitinen, were one shy of the program record of eight, coming in an 11-0 home victory over St. Cloud State on Oct. 10, 2015.
“Murph, she’s a goal scorer. That’s what she does, and she played great here,” Frost said. “Nelli, as a defenseman scoring three, is a pretty big deal. So, we’re really happy for her.”
