After helping their respective teams to series sweeps, Minnesota's trio of Abbey Murphy, Sydney Morrow, and Bella Fanale was joined by Minnesota Duluth's Ève Gascon in earning the latest Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) weekly honors presented by OS Hockey.
WCHA Forward of the Week
Abbey Murphy, Gr., Minnesota (Evergreen Park, Ill.)
Minnesota's Abbey Murphy recorded nine points in the Gophers' season-opening series sweep against Boston College, leading to her being awarded the WCHA Forward of the Week. On Thursday, in the home opener, Murphy recorded one goal and three assists to help Minnesota to a 7-1 victory. Murphy recorded her third-career hat trick while adding two assists in Friday's 11-0 win. The Evergreen Park, Illinois native became the 11th Gopher to reach 200 career points in Friday's contest.
WCHA Defender of the Week
Sydney Morrow, Sr., Minnesota (Darien, Conn.)
Sydney Morrow tallied five points in Minnesota's series sweep of Boston College. Morrow recorded three assists in the first game of the season, helping the Gophers to a 7-1 win. The Minnesota blueliner followed with two goals in Friday's 11-0 victory, including the first goal of the game. Morrow finished with a +7 on the weekend, including five blocked shots.
Other Nominee: Ashley Messier, Minnesota Duluth.
WCHA Goaltender of the Week
Ève Gascon, Jr., Minnesota Duluth (Mascouche, Quebec)
After recording back-to-back shutout performances in Minnesota Duluth's series sweep of Syracuse, Ève Gascon was awarded the WCHA Goaltender of the Week accolade. In Thursday's 4-0 victory against the Orange, Gascon collected 33 saves before following up with a 13-save shutout performance in Friday's 4-0 win. In the series, Gascon stopped all 46 shots she faced and helped keep the Orange scoreless in 10 penalty kill attempts. It also marked Gascon's second-ever complete series shutout. Gascon's two shutouts in the series moved her into a tie for fifth all-time in UMD program history with 13 career shutouts.
Other Nominees: Layla Hemp, Minnesota; Emilia Kyrkkö, St. Cloud State.
WCHA Rookie of the Week
Bella Fanale, Forward, Minnesota (Webster, N.Y.)
Bella Fanale was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week after her collegiate debut performance for Minnesota in the series sweep against Boston College. In her first-ever collegiate game, Fanale scored two goals as she recorded her first multi-point game of her career in her debut. In Friday's 11-0 victory, Fanale earned four points with one goal and three assists. The rookie forward went a combined 24-10 (71%) in the face-off circle over the weekend.
Other Nominees: Madi Burr, Minnesota Duluth; Adéla Šapovalivová, Wisconsin.
For more information on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, follow the league on X and Instagram @WCHA_WHockey, and online at wcha.com.
2025-26 WCHA Players of the Week:
Sept. 29: Forward: Abbey Murphy, Minnesota; Defender: Sydney Morrow, Minnesota; Goaltender: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Rookie: Bella Fanale, Minnesota
Sept. 22: Forward: Rylee Bartz, St. Thomas; Defender: Siiri Yrjölä, St. Cloud State; Goaltender: Hailey Hansen, Minnesota State; Rookie: Zoe Lopez, Minnesota State