MILAN — Abbey Murphy was in the corner, with her back to teammate Hannah Bilka, and a defender was pinning her down, but it didn’t matter.
The young American star still found a way to catch Canada’s defense off guard and set up Birka for her easiest goal ever.
Murphy’s deft behind-the-back pass was the highlight of the U.S. women’s hockey team’s 5-0 win over Canada on Tuesday night. Team USA cemented itself as the undisputed favorite at this Olympics by dominating a highly anticipated competitive showdown that is likely to be a preview of next week’s gold medal game.
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One of the biggest reasons why Team USA won so convincingly was because of Murphy’s performance. The 23-year-old University of Minnesota forward assisted on three of the United States’ five goals, two of which were scored by Birka. As usual, she also infuriated her opponents and incurred multiple penalties from Team Canada.
This isn’t the first time Murphy has become famous for his incredible awareness and passing ability. Just look at last month’s highlight reel, which hockey analyst John Butchgross called “the greatest assist of all time.”
For a U.S. team with plenty of firepower, Murphy is the biggest X-factor. If she plays at this level, it’s hard to imagine any other team in Milan challenging the Americans.
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