Meet Abbey Murphy: The viral Gophers women’s hockey star with an Olympic gold medal in her sights

Forgive Abbey Murphy if she’s skating with a little more spring in her step, if she’s tossing passes with a bit more sauce than normal and, yes, if she’s embarrassing opponents with creativity that’s nothing short of hockey sorcery.

Murphy, the Gophers’ sixth-year graduate forward, is wringing all she can out of the 2025-26 season. Her goals include not only winning a national championship for Minnesota but also seeking a gold medal as a budding star for Team USA at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy.

“College hockey and college sports in general are some of the best times of your life,” Murphy said. “This year specifically, I’m just trying to take in every little moment, every little day, every opportunity I get to just have fun and be in the moment. So, stuff like that — it just doesn’t get old."

Since the women’s college hockey season started in late September, Murphy has enjoyed a thrilling ride with both the Gophers and Team USA. She has a Gophers home-and-home series against St. Cloud State on Friday, Jan. 23 (6 p.m. at St. Cloud) and Saturday, Jan. 24 (2 p.m. at Ridder Arena) remaining before she leaves for the Olympics next week. What she’s accomplished so far has been impressive:

*Murphy leads Division I women’s hockey in both points (58) and goals (33), and her average points per game (2.42) is a half-point more than the next-closest player. She’s also led the third-ranked Gophers to a 20-4 record with victories over both Wisconsin, the top-ranked defending national champion, and No. 2 Ohio State, the 2022 and 2024 NCAA champion and runner-up in 2023 and 2025.

*She has three hat tricks in her past five games, earning WCHA forward of the week honors for three consecutive weeks and five times overall this season. Murphy has 253 career points for the Gophers, moving past Natalie Darwitz for third in program history on Jan. 16 and Amanda Kessel for second a day later. The only player ahead of Murphy is Hannah Brandt (286).

*Murphy is poised to be a key player for the United States in the quest for an Olympic gold medal after her standout performance in the Rivalry Series, a four-game tournament against Canada. In Team USA’s sweep by a combined 24-7 score, Murphy tied for the tournament lead with five goals and was second with eight points.

Murphy certainly will have a chance to shine in the Olympics and in college hockey’s postseason once she returns from Italy. But she’s already produced a signature moment with creativity that had the internet buzzing a couple of weeks ago.

The Gophers led Minnesota State Mankato 1-0 in the first period on Jan. 10 at Ridder Arena when Murphy gathered the puck in the Mavericks zone and broke out on a two-on-two rush with teammate Bella Fanale. Upon entering the Minnesota State zone, Murphy slid her stick blade under the puck and popped it in the air, slightly above waist high. With Mavericks defender Lauren Zawoyski in front of her, Murphy rotated her stick over and slapped the puck to the ice, bouncing it between Zawoyski’s legs. Murphy skated around Zawoyski and beat Mavericks defender Mika Cichosz to the puck before sending a one-handed, backhanded pass over to Fanale on the right side. Fanale promptly lifted the puck over sliding Minnesota State goalie Hailey Hansen for a goal. The only thing missing was a mic drop.

“I was in the ‘D’ zone, picked up that puck and I didn’t even think of it, honestly, until around the red line,” Murphy said. “From there, it just happened. There was no thinking because it happened so fast. My biggest thing was just getting the puck over to Bella. You know, if Bella Fanale doesn’t score that goal, it’s not a viral video and it’s not as huge as it’s become.”

Murphy is happy she could bring the attention to her sport.

“Just the number of eyes it’s getting is the recognition women’s hockey deserves,” she said. “It’s not just me, it’s a much larger picture.”

“She’s got to make sure she’s not putting herself into situations like at the net front,” Frost said. “We want our players to stop at the net front. OK, stop, then the whistle goes, and get out. Don’t stay in there because somebody is going to give you a shove. You’re going to give them a shove. And now she’s gone [to the penalty box]. Even if it’s four-on-four, that’s not to our advantage.”

Murphy’s talent and tenacity will be on display in Italy, where she will make her second Olympic appearance. As an 18-year-old in 2022, she played in seven games in Beijing, notching one assist as Team USA won silver. During the Rivalry Series, Murphy had a hat trick in the opener while playing on a line with Hannah Bilka and former Gophers/current Frost forward Kelly Pannek. Murphy had two goals and two assists in Game 3 on a line with Bilka and former Gophers/current Frost forward Taylor Heise.

“She was worried about making the Olympic team. I wasn’t,” Frost said. “She’s gone from somebody who made the team four years ago and didn’t have as big of an impact as she’s certainly going to have now. Now, she’s one of the go-to players, for sure.”