Feb 14, 2026
3 min read
Abbey Murphy was once again in the thick of the action, tying the score and taking penalties as the US women's hockey team cruised to a 6-0 victory over Italy that got "a little spicy" and prompted coach John Wroblewski to talk about Olympic refereeing.
MILAN -- The U.S. women's hockey team knows that as heavy favorites in the Olympics, things can go wrong on the ice -- and Team USA isn't afraid to fight back.
Abby Murphy was again in the spotlight with a draw and a penalty kick as Team USA cruised to a 6-0 victory over host Italy to reach its seventh straight Olympic semifinal.
"A little angry," said American forward Taylor Hayes."I don't want to talk too much about it, but I think at the end of the day we had to play a specific style of hockey and we're willing to mold ourselves into whatever we need to do to be successful."
It was an example of the old ones that upset the American players and coach John Wroblewski, who at one point clashed with the Italian coaches.
“U see once is once,” Wroblewski said.
The main fireworks on Friday came late in the second period, when Hanna Bilka dropped a shot past Italy goalkeeper Gabriella Durante for the sixth goal.Murphy rushed to the scene and appeared to throw some sort of blow at the Italian Francisca Stoker.
Stoker and Murphy were called for minor penalties.Minnesota star Murphy, 23, was all smiles as he headed to the penalty area.
"When you represent your country, you hold yourself to a high standard," Murphy said."So anybody that's going to be checked in front of the net, I'm not going to just watch it happen. That's not me. I'm not going to give up."
According to research, in those Olympics, Murphy took nine penalties for six different fouls.The rest of the US team took a total of 10 penalties.
"He's electric," Heise said. "I just think he makes people mad. Obviously, I want him on my team. He's a great player and a great person. I'll always say he's the best person overall, but if you make him look bad, it's not true."
"... He helped us in that game with Canada. I think he had three assists and four penalties. That's better than a hat trick in my opinion. So he just knows where to get under people's skin."
When Murphy left for Milan, she led the NCAA in goals (36 in 26 games) and penalties (23).
"Our coach said, 'Get that fine line,'" Murphy said."Don't get in trouble. Don't do something stupid that's going to keep you in the next game or anything. But yeah, you know me."
Friday's quarterfinal game, attended by raucous Italian-American fans, started raucously early.
“It’s not really hockey,” Tessa Janecke said."It can be frustrating, but if that's what they're going to do to win, they're going to do it. You've got to play and be smart."
The Americans have dominated Milan, outscoring opponents 26-1 with at least five goals in each game.
As the United States awaits its opponents in the semifinals, the team is on a 271:23 goalless streak, which is shared between goalkeepers Aerin Frankel and Gwyneth Philips.
"People are always trying to play us hard, and they should," veteran linebacker Lee Steklein said."We're really proud of how our team stays together and focuses on us. I think we're fortunate to have some great leaders in our locker room. Hilary Knight brings the room back together, regroups us and makes sure we're focused on the right things."
The USA outshot Italy 51-6, including a 20-2 first period.
Meanwhile, Italy finished the Winter Games with two wins in five games; a huge improvement after going 0-5 in their only other Olympic appearance in 2006.
