Minnesota's Abbey Murphy, Ohio State's Joy Dunne & Hilda Svensson, along with St. Cloud State's Emilia Kyrkkö, earned the latest set of Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) weekly honors, presented by OS Hockey.
WCHA Forward of the Week
Abbey Murphy, Gr., Minnesota (Evergreen Park, Ill.)
For the third-straight week and fifth time this season, Minnesota's Abbey Murphy claimed the WCHA Forward of the Week honor following her eight-point series performance against Bemidji State. In Minnesota's 5-3 victory against the Beavers on Friday, Murphy tallied a goal and an assist, then followed up with four goals and two assists in Saturday's 11-1 win. Murphy recorded her fifth hat trick of the season with Saturday's effort. The Gopher forward surpassed 250 career points and moved into second on Minnesota's all-time scoring list after her performance on Saturday.
Other Nominees: Jocelyn Amos, Ohio State; Avery Farrell. St. Cloud State.
WCHA Defender of the Week
Joy Dunne, Jr., Ohio State (O'Fallon, Mo.)
A six-point series performance from the blue line led to Ohio State's Joy Dunne claiming her second-consecutive WCHA Defender of the Week honor. In the Buckeyes series sweep against then No. 14 Minnesota State, Dunne propelled the Buckeyes to a 7-4 victory in game one with a four-goal performance. Dunne tallied a goal and an assist in the 4-1 win in game two. The four goals in game one tied a career-high performance for the Buckeye defender, as it marked the second time this season Dunne has recorded four goals in a game.
Other Nominee: Nelli Laitinen, Minnesota; Sydney Lamb, St. Cloud State.
WCHA Goaltender of the Week
Emilia Kyrkkö, So., St. Cloud State (Nokia, Finland)
St. Cloud State's Emilia Kyrkkö was awarded the WCHA Goaltender of the Week honor after backstopping the Huskies in their series against then No. 8 Minnesota Duluth. On Friday, Kyrkkö made 39 saves and allowed two goals, helping the Huskies earn the shootout win against the Bulldogs. The St. Cloud State netminder stopped 37 shots in Saturday's 5-2 victory. The performance in game one marked her second game of the season with 39 or more saves. On the weekend,
Kyrkkö led all WCHA goaltenders in saves with 76 and ranked first among WCHA goaltenders who played two games with a .950 save percentage.
Other Nominees: Layla Hemp, Minnesota; Taylor Kressin, Ohio State; Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin.
WCHA Rookie of the Week
Hilda Svensson, F, Ohio State (Oskarshamn, Sweden)
Ohio State's Hilda Svensson earned her sixth WCHA Rookie of the Week honor for her performance in the Buckeyes series sweep against then No. 14 Minnesota State. The rookie forward recorded three assists in the series opener and added a power play goal in game two for four points on the weekend. Svensson led the team with +7 for the series and became the first Buckeye to reach 40 points this season. The Oskarshamn, Sweden native now ranks third amongst all NCAA skaters this season with 42 points.
Other Nominees: Bella Fanale, Minnesota; Mercury Bischoff, Minnesota State; Maria Mikaelyan, St. Cloud State.
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
Jan. 19: Forward: Abbey Murphy, Minnesota; Defender: Joy Dunne, Ohio State; Goaltender: Emilia Kyrkkö, St. Cloud State; Rookie: Hilda Svensson, Ohio State
Jan. 12: Forward: Abbey Murphy, Minnesota; Defender: Joy Dunne, Ohio State; Goaltender: Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin; Rookie: Bella Fanale, Minnesota
Jan. 5: Forward: Abbey Murphy, Minnesota; Defender: Nelli Laitinen, Minnesota; Goaltender: Hailey MacLeod, Ohio State; Rookie: Hilda Svensson, Ohio State
Dec. 8: Forward: Jamie Nelson, Minnesota; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin; Rookie: Maria Mikaelyan, St. Cloud State
Dec. 1: Forward: Lacey Eden, Wisconsin; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Emilia Kyrkkö, St. Cloud State; Rookie: Hilda Svensson, Ohio State
Nov. 24: Forward: Joy Dunne, Ohio State; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Hailey Hansen, Minnesota State; Rookie: Mercury Bischoff, Minnesota State
Nov. 17: Forward: Kirsten Simms, Wisconsin; Defender: Sara Swiderski, Ohio State; Goaltender: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Rookie: Hilda Svensson, Ohio State
Nov. 10: Forward: Rylee Bartz, St. Thomas; Defender: Jenessa Gazdik, St. Thomas; Goaltender: Kaitlin Groess, Bemidji State
Nov. 3: Forward: Joy Dunne, Ohio State; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Taylor Kressin, Ohio State; Rookie: Sophia Villanueva, Minnesota Duluth
Oct. 27: Forward: Claire Enright, Wisconsin; Defender: Emma Peschel, Ohio State; Goaltender: Hannah Clark, Minnesota; Rookie: Hilda Svensson, Ohio State
Oct. 20: Forward: Alice Sauriol, St. Cloud State; Defender: Ellah Hause, St. Thomas; Goaltender: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Rookie: Rae Mayer, Minnesota Duluth
Oct. 13: Forward: Kirsten Simms, Wisconsin; Defender: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Hannah Clark, Minnesota; Rookie: Maria Mikaelyan, St. Cloud State
Oct. 6: Forward: Abbey Murphy, Minnesota; Defender: Laila Edwards, Wisconsin; Goaltender: Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin; Rookie: Hilda Svensson, Ohio State
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