In the Gophers’ first game of the season, Abbey Murphy scored two goals. In the second, she added another.
The junior forward followed the logical next step Friday, stealing the show—and the game—with three goals in an 8-0 rout of St. Thomas. Murphy put on her best performance yet this season under the bright lights of Xcel Energy Center, recording her first career hat trick in the WCHA opener for both teams.
The No. 4 Gophers (3-0) also got two goals from Ella Huber and one each from Peyton Hemp, Audrey Wethington and Emma Conner, while goaltender Skylar Vetter had 27 saves. They remained perfect against the Tommies (4-1), running their record in the series to 13-0.
Murphy scored the Gophers’ first three goals and assisted on two others. The 2022 Olympian has six goals and four assists through three games. Vetter earned her second shutout of the season and 10th of her career.
Tommies goalie Calla Frank recorded 30 saves as the Gophers outshot St. Thomas 38-27.
The Gophers dominated the first period, keeping the Tommies pinned in their zone for long stretches. Audrey Wethington, Ella Huber and Josefin Bouveng all got good chances early, but Frank, a graduate transfer who played four seasons at Minnesota State Mankato, turned them all away.
Murphy broke the stalemate at 10 minutes, 27 seconds, weaving her way through the left circle and beating Frank with a wrist shot. St. Thomas got its first power play with 1:01 left in the first period when the Gophers’ Madeline Wethington checked Brieja Parent, but Murphy turned it to the Gophers’ advantage.
Tommies defender Nicole Vallario collected the puck behind her net, then lost control as she tried to carry it out. It squirted into the slot, where Murphy pounced on it and instantly fired it past Frank.
That put the Gophers up 2-0 with 35 seconds remaining in the first period. They doubled that lead in the first 4:21 of the second, with Murphy scoring one goal and setting up the next.
As Madeline Wethington sent the puck toward the net, Murphy glided across the slot and directed it past Frank at the three-minute mark. Only 81 seconds later, Murphy took the opposite role, firing in the puck from the center point for Huber to tip in. Hemp squeezed a shot from the right circle through Frank’s pads at 9:47 to make it 5-0.
Huber pushed the lead to 6-0 on a breakaway goal 36 seconds into the third period, while Audrey Wethington got the Gophers’ seventh goal on a tip-in during a power play. Conner completed the scoring with 14.2 seconds remaining in the game.