Reusse: Abbey Murphy, Bella Fanale form record-setting connection for Gophers

Bella Fanale had made herself a hockey prospect at a young age growing up in the suburbs of Rochester, N.Y. She estimates it was age 12 when she started to consider the possibility of playing college hockey.

“I had heard about Minnesota as this great hockey state and the women’s team with its own arena … the Gophers," Fanale said. “This was where I would go to the offseason camps. I was 14 at my first camp here.

“Everybody was so nice ... and knowledgeable.”

Fanale paused and said: “Abbey [Murphy] was a freshman.”

How could young Bella have guessed in that summer of 2021 that 4½ years later she would be skating down the middle toward the opponent’s net and Murphy would put her on a highlight video that would be seen throughout the Free World — and perhaps even Russia?

This was on Jan. 10, the second game of the Gophers’ weekend series vs. Minnesota State Mankato, with this one being played in Minneapolis. The Gophers had won 11-3 in Mankato a night earlier and were up 1-0 in the first period at Ridder Arena.

Murphy was buzzing on the left wing in the offensive zone and popped the puck up onto her stick. She then played it through the skates of a defender and swept it one-handed to Fanale as the freshman was headed toward the goal.

Which led to this question for Fanale a couple of weeks later:

“Have you considered what the reaction might have been if ‘Murph’ had done her magic trick and then you missed the net?”

Fanale laughed and said: “I can’t even think about that. I didn’t know exactly what she had done to make that pass. If I had seen it all and there was time to think about the shot, it would have been terrifying.”

This is Murphy’s sixth year in college. She was a freshman in 2020-21, a pandemic-shortened season for which college athletes were given an extra season of eligibility. Then she was gone for the entire 2021-22 season as a member of the U.S. Olympic team.

Three full seasons followed, but Murphy still had another year of eligibility if she wanted to use it.

“I didn’t know before we started practice, but they put us together right away,” Fanale said. “I knew Murph was outstanding. She’s been better than I imagined.”

Murphy must have gotten the hint early that Fanale would be her senior-season center. Once Bella showed up on campus, she was indoctrinated into the Murph Shooting Clinic.

“I would get Bella up every morning and take her to our shooting area,” Murphy said. “Up at 6:30, over there by 7. Get a freshman started right.”

Murphy paused and said: “Not that Bella needed that. She is a 100 percenter.”

On Saturday, Jan. 24, against St. Cloud State, Fanale set up Murphy’s second of two goals. That put Murphy’s career total at 139, tying the record set by Nadine Muzerall, a great during some dominant Gophers times from 1997 to 2001.

There is an asterisk with Murphy’s record-tying goal total, since she has played 166 games with the extra season and Muzerall played 129. But what the heck, it’s still a sweet goal-scoring number and Fanale and Murphy were working until the last minute vs. St. Cloud State to reach 140.

Fanale made a last-second pass to Murphy above the circle and she fired a rocket. Jojo Chobak made a loud save with her stick and the final horn blasted.

And now, if Murphy is going to break the goal-scoring record, it will have to come in the first round of the playoffs in a month, because she will miss four two-game series to end the WCHA schedule due to the Olympics.

Three other current Gophers will also be in the Olympics: defender Nelli Laitinen (Finland), forward Josefin Bouveng (Sweden) and forward Tereza Plosova (Czech Republic).

“I’m kind of sad Abbey’s leaving. It’s so great playing with her, but it also will be a thrill watching our teammates in the Olympics,” Fanale said. “And we can get the record goal when Murph gets back.”

Ava Lindsay, the junior from Minnetonka, was on the right wing of the Murphy-Fanale line before a midseason shakeup.

“With Abbey, you have to expect the unexpected,” Lindsay said. “She’s known to try new stuff, but that goal against Mankato … all of us on the bench were looking up at the big scoreboard screen saying, ‘What did she do?’

“She’s been great this season — and a little more disciplined in avoiding penalties. She’s always going to be Abbey, but we really like it when she’s on the ice, not somewhere else."

That would be the penalty box.

Late in that St. Cloud State game, Murphy did get a slashing penalty, and she also was run into the boards. And who came immediately to her linemate’s rescue with a retaliatory hit on a Husky — Fanale, that’s who.