Weeks after Ridly Greig's empty-net clapper, which resulted in a cross-check to the head from Morgan Rielly, Abbey Murphy provided her rendition of the controversial moment.
Abbey MurphySnowing the goalie, shooting the puck after a whistle, or simply crossing the red line during warm-ups are no-nos that, although not in any official hockey rulebook, are widely known throughout the sport.
The one that's most up for debate since Feb. 10 is taking a slapshot on an empty net, which has happened twice in three weeks by Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig and University of Minnesota's Abbey Murphy.
In a Battle of Ontario matchup between the Sens and Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 10, Greig iced the game with an up-close and personal empty-net clapper. This subsequently led to Morgan Rielly delivering a cross-check to the head of Greig, earning the defenseman a five-game suspension.
Whatever was in the air that night in Ottawa must have made its way over to the University of Minnesota's Ridder Arena on Saturday. The Golden Gophers women's team hosted rivals Minnesota Duluth, and with just over five seconds left in the third period – roughly the same amount of time that was left following Greig's shot – Gophers' forward Abbey Murphy delivered an almost identical empty-net slapshot to give her team the late two-goal cushion.
While Murphy only received a bump into the boards by an opposing forward, Clara Van Wieren, the similarities to Greig's earlier play were noticeable, to say the least.
But as fans of women's hockey know all too well, Murphy is no stranger to playing the villain. In the Chicago native's previous two seasons with the Golden Gophers, she averaged more penalty minutes than points, and this season alone, she has surpassed the 100 PIMs mark at 101. That is nearly double her 52 points on the season.
Despite her reputation and the recency to Greig's fabled shot, the reactions to Murphy's shot have been positive overall.
Perhaps the goal was less controversial in this case because the reaction on the ice won't result in a suspension like in Rielly's case. That said, only time will tell whether the up-close empty-net clapper will be frowned upon in the long run or accepted as it appears to have been in Murphy's case.