Growing up in the south suburbs of Chicago, Gophers standout winger Abbey Murphy had no shortage of exciting possibilities when it came to school field trips — the Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry being two of the most popular destinations.
But living in a community with limited opportunities for young hockey players, she would have traded a day on Chicago’s lakefront for the what a Ridder Arena-full of kids enjoyed on Friday afternoon.
And Murphy helped make sure those kids to back on the bus happy, scoring a pair of goals to lift the Gophers to a 4-1 victory over Bemidji State on the inaugural “Field Trip Day.”
Murphy’s first goal came late in the third period to give the Gophers a little breathing room and a 3-1 lead. She followed that up with an empty-net goal, giving her 22 on the season.
She played to the crowd after her first goal, lifting her arms over her head to encourage the kids to make some noise.
“I wanted to see how loud they could get,” Murphy said.
Murphy made a curtain call on the ice after the game, showing her appreciation for the kids coming out.
“Just trying to make as many kids smile as I can,” she said. “Make them remember this experience.”
The players and coaches will remember it.
“It was a cool experience,” Murphy said. “The energy. Sometimes you felt like they didn’t even know what was going on and were just happy to be here.”
Gophers coach Brad Frost said he got caught up in the atmosphere.
“It was almost emotional for me,” he said. “Great anthem singer, all the kids standing up. And when we needed a lift during a media timeout or a certain song comes on and they start jamming … I hope it was a great experience for them, too.”
The Gophers (20-5-1, 14-4-1 WCHA) won their fifth in a row and ninth in the past 10 games. While they enjoyed a significant edge in play for most of the game, they led only 1-0 after two periods on a goal by Peyton Hemp. Audrey Wethington gave the Gophers a 2-0 lead at 6:24 of the third period, but the Beavers responded with a goal of their own two minutes later.
The Beavers stayed within striking distance until Murphy’s heroics in the final minutes.
“It’s nerve-wracking for sure,” Frost said. “But we were playing the right way. When you’re playing well and doing the right things and it’s close, that’s hockey. It’s more frustrating when you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing and it’s a close game.”
The Gophers’ winning streak has come after a 6-2 loss to Penn State at Ridder on January 4. Frost said that loss could prove to be a turning on the Gophers’ season.
“It certainly made us continue to focus on, ‘Who are we? What makes us different from other teams and what do we want our identity to be,’” he said. “I feel we’ve played pretty consistent hockey since that game.”
The Gophers and Beavers will meet outdoors at Valleyfair Amusement Park in Shakopee at 11:30 a.m. Saturday as part of Hockey Day Minnesota. It will be the third-ever outdoor game for the Gophers, the first since 2020.
“I’ve never been a part of it, so I’m really, really excited,” Murphy said. “We don’t have anything like this in Illinois, so just to be a part of it and being able to rep the U of M, it’s going to be a blast.”
Frost is happy that his players are getting the chance to play outdoors as part of a special day in Minnesota. “It’s about experiences,” he said, “things our players will remember for the rest of their lives.”
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