Reusse: Abbey Murphy’s return will be a fun time on the ice

The hockey season ended for the Gophers women’s team on March 21 with a 6-2 loss to Wisconsin in the national semifinals. It was a 3-2 game into the final seconds of the second period, when Ella Huber was down along the boards, Abbey Murphy paused to assist an injured linemate and the Badgers raced to the other end to score with a two-skater advantage.

There was also a major called earlier on Murphy after Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson asked for a replay. When the Badgers took a retaliatory run at Murphy later, Gophers coach Brad Frost asked for a replay but it remained a two-minute penalty.

Johnson and the Badgers were treated generously again two days later in the title game, when they were handed a penalty shot with 19 seconds remaining — enabling Kirsten Simms to tie the game, then Simms scoring again early in overtime for a 4-3 victory over Ohio State.

“Mark Johnson drives me crazy, the way he has the refs in his pocket — and his idiotic postgame quotes comparing putting in golf to hockey,” I said to Murphy in a phone conversation Friday.

There was a pause. “We were 0-and-6 against them this year,” she said. “That’s not fun. They had a great team. Mark Johnson has an excellent program.”

See ... Murphy is a fine sportswoman, contrary to a few opponents’ complaints.

She arrived here to join the Gophers in the late summer of 2020 from Evergreen Park, a near suburb to the south side of Chicago.

That season started late because of the COVID-19 pandemic and was limited to 20 games. She then missed the 2021-22 season for this astounding reason:

Murphy was named to the U.S. Olympic team for the 2022 Beijing Games. She was one of two teenagers on that team that won a silver medal — losing 3-2 in the final to Canada (of course).

College athletes participating in the COVID year were given an extra season of eligibility, and then the Olympics took another year, so that semifinal loss to Wisconsin in March did not guarantee that Murphy’s college career was over.

In fact, as fans and parents were waiting for the Gophers to walk in unison into Ridder Arena for that game, I was talking with her father, the gregarious Ed Murphy. And when I suggested this would be it for those family weekend drives from Chicago to see Abbey play for the Gophers, he said:

“Maybe not. Abbey has a year left if she wants to use it.”

To which I replied: “She has to go to the pro league — to the PWHL. They let ‘em hit each other in that league. It’s basically ‘Abbey Murphy Rules’ hockey."

The Gophers season ended vs. the dastardly Badgers, and then Murphy joined the national team before the April world championships in the Czech Republic. She was the player of the game for the first of the Yanks’ seven straight victories (take that, Canada), and came back with her fourth international gold medal, and guess what?

Everyman Ed wasn’t kidding.

It was announced in the first week of May that Murphy would be back with the Gophers for 2025-26 — a fifth season on campus and sixth since she started scoring goals and stirring up opponents in blue-collar, south of Chicago fashion.

What’s the deal here, Murph the Tuff?

“Why leave school?” she said. “The resources given to me here, the ability to train here; I have a degree in business marketing, but I can take a few more interesting classes; and I can play more college hockey, which I love ...

“You only can go to college once in life.”

This final Gophers season figures to be the most unique of all, considering that Murphy — even though she wouldn’t state it — figures to be chosen for the Olympic team that will be playing in Cortina, Italy, in February.

In the previous Olympics, it was a full season commitment to be with the national team.

Frost, the Gophers coach, said: “The PWHL has changed that. Previously, the players that were out of college really didn’t have a competitive place to play. They had to put the Olympic team together for months in order to have competition.

“Now, the way to understand it, there will be one week a month — in September, October, November, December and January — when the college players and the pros are together to get ready for the Olympics.

“And then, Abbey and other college players would be gone for the Olympics for February. We also have players from other countries with a chance to be on their Olympic teams.

“We have 24 players on the roster, as of now. We’re going to have a lot of interesting weeks if four or five of our players are gone.”

Murphy is back home in Evergreen Park for a few weeks before the national team camps.

“I played some golf this morning, but I’m also training every day to be in great condition,” she said. “One thing I’ve been doing is the Swallow Cliff Stairs near here. It’s a toboggan run in the winter.

“You should look those up. Those are tough.”

Just the way Murph the Tuff likes it.

One last thing: You’re not yet going to the PWHL. Is it that you don’t like the fact they can hit in that league?

“I love that about it …“

Murphy paused.

“Oh, wait, you’re making a joke about the penalties I’ve had in college.”

Yes. And if our two-time PWHL champions eventually land Murphy over there in St. Paul with a license for contact, move over Marcus Foligno.

Write to Patrick Reusse by emailing sports@startribune.com and including his name in the subject line.