Abbey Murphy scored twice in the third period to help the No. 3 Gophers women’s hockey outlast Bemidji State 4-1 on Friday afternoon at Ridder Arena.
Gophers women sell out Ridder Arena for victory. Next: Outdoor hockey at Valleyfair.
The Gophers women’s hockey team defeated Bemidji State 4-1, with the teams set to battle Saturday outdoors on Hockey Day in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 24, 2025 at 9:48PM
The victory, played in front of an announced sellout crowd of 3,998, was the fifth straight and 16th in the past 18 games for the Gophers (20-5-1, 14-4-1 WCHA).
“The atmosphere was great for the first Field Trip Day game at Ridder. It was a great game,” said Gophers coach Brad Frost. “I thought we competed and played hard. When you play Bemidji, they do such a good job of blocking shots and forcing you to play the right way. I thought our team did that.”
After a scoreless first period, the Gophers got on the scoreboard on Peyton Hemp’s goal with 13 minutes left in the second.
Audrey Wethington gave the Gophers a 2-0 lead with 13½ minutes remaining. Two minutes later, the Beavers (4-21-1, 2-17-0) pulled within 2-1 on a goal by Mya Headrick.
Murphy scored with 3 minutes, 15 seconds remaining to restore the Gophers' two-goal lead, before sealing the victory with an empty-net goal with 41 seconds remaining.
“Murph answered with a beautiful shot there, to get us back up two,” said Frost, “and then getting an empty-netter which was a big deal for us.”
The Gophers outshot the Beavers, 38-16.
It was the 16th multi-point game of the season for Murphy, who has registered at least one point in 21 of the Gophers' 26 games. In the Gophers' sweep of Minnesota State Mankato last weekend, Murphy became the 10th player in program history to reach 90 career goals.
On Saturday, the teams will conclude the series at Valleyfair in Shakopee as part of Hockey Day in Minnesota. It will be the third outdoor game in program history for the Gophers. The Gophers defeated Minnesota State Mankato 4-0 at Huntington Bank Stadium in 2014 and defeated Ohio State 2-1 at Parade Stadium in 2020.
“Any time you can play on Hockey Day in Minnesota it’s a big deal,” said Frost. “And to be on TV and outside is a special day and will be a great experience.”
Coach John Hynes emphasized returning to “the commitment level that it takes to win” after Minnesota's fifth loss in six games and drop below .500 in games at Xcel Energy Center.
