Hockey agitator: Why American Abbey Murphy continues to frustrate Canada

In a 5-0 debacle of Canada, American send on Abbey Murphy john drew non i, not two, but four penalties.

She also had three assists, including a highlight-reel backhand pass directly to the stick of teammate Hannah Bilka, who buried it behind goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens.

That's the recipe for how 23-year-old Murphy, who hasn't yet turned professional, has been able to frustrate her opponents. She can irritate you, but she can also beat you with her skill.

"Often times, you think of 'agitators,' they don’t generally carry the skill of somebody like Abbey, who can play all facets of the game and then she can put it in the back of the net or set somebody up for a tap in. And all of a sudden, it just makes [opponents] even more angry because she’s got the complete game."

She's a problem Canada hasn't been able to solve all season. Murphy racked up eight points over four games at a Rivalry Series where Canada was outmatched. She also has 61 points in 26 games in the NCAA this season, more than any other player.

Murphy is poised to be a top pick in the PWHL Draft later this season, and her game should translate to the pro ranks well.

In the shorter term, Canada will have to figure out how to match what Murphy and the rest of a skilled, fast American team bring to the table, if they meet again in this tournament.

So far, Murphy has five points in four games in Milan, Italy.

When he was asked about her after Tuesday's loss, Canadian head coach Troy Ryan described Murphy as "very effective."

"The instigator, agitator, kind of rat side of her is something that she does very well," he said. "There’s very few people that can play that role but also back it with some skill and some dynamic side. That’s very difficult to manage."

Not only can Murphy draw the penalties, but she can score a goal, or set one up, on the ensuing power play.

"My advice to our team historically in situations like that is if players are going to play that way against you, you’ve got to make decisions yourself: can you match it?" Ryan said.

"The only way you engage in that sort of activity is if you think you can do it better. If you don’t think you can do it better, you just turn the other cheek, you move on and you just try to play the game the right way."

Murphy's game hasn't come without criticism.

In the first intermission of Tuesday's game, two-time Olympic gold medallist Cassie Campbell-Pascall described Murphy as "an unbelievable player."

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But Campbell-Pascall said Canada, and other federations, have been frustrated at previous world championships with Murphy's "embellishment."

"It’s atrocious," Campbell-Pascall said on the broadcast. "It’s embarrassing. This is coming from a player who I think is going to be one of the greatest in the game. It’s got to be stopped, and the only way it’s going to be stopped is if they make the call."

Embellishment or diving is a minor penalty when a player "blatantly dives, "embellishes" a fall or a reaction or who "feigns an injury," according to the International Ice Hockey Federation rulebook. Murphy has only been called for one penalty in the tournament, an illegal hit against a Swiss player.

"It is completely even more frustrating because she can actually play the game and she’s very offensively gifted," Campbell-Pascall said during the second intermission.

"But you have to stay disciplined. You have to find a way. And you have to allow the Team Canada staff, the staffs from the other federations, to deal with it in the [International Ice Hockey Federation] directorate meeting because that’s what has to happen."

From Frost's vantage point, he sees Murphy drawing penalties because of how "fast and tenacious" she's playing.

"There’s things they’re trying to do to slow her down and it’s not working," Frost said.

The bigger problem for the Canadian team is Murphy is just one of several players who can do damage. Having Murphy, Bilka and Taylor Heise together allows the U.S. To run a first line with two shooting threats in Alex Carpenter and Hilary Knight.

That bumps Kendall Coyne Schofield, who's put up 10 goals in 15 games with the Minnesota Frost, to the third line.

"Our strength is our youth, energy and speed," Knight said before the tournament began. "We are a very hard team to play against."

The U.S. Will play Italy in the quarterfinals on Friday at 3:10 p.m. ET.

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