Edwards, Murphy earn WCHA accolades

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin women’s hockey junior Laila Edwards and sophomore Ava Murphy both took home WCHA weekly honors after leading the Badgers to a sweep of St. Thomas, the league announced on Monday

Edwards was named the WCHA Forward of the Week for the second time this season while Murphy earned her first WCHA Defender of the Week honor. 

A native of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Edwards led all WCHA skaters with nine points over the weekend and her five goals also paced all league skaters. The winger posted a goal and three assists in UW’s 6-1 win on Friday before adding four tallies and an assist in UW’s 11-1 triumph on Saturday. She became the first Badger since the 2021-22 season to record a natural hat trick and the eighth player in school history to record four or more goals in a single contest. 

Murphy paced all WCHA defenders with five points over the weekend and also led all skaters with a +8 plus/minus rating. She scored her second goal of the season and added an assist in Friday’s win before collecting three assists in UW’s triumph on Saturday. The Kitchener, Ontario, native now has four multi-point games on the season after her career weekend. 

The No. 1 Badgers welcome No. 11 St. Cloud State to LaBahn Arena this weekend. Puck drop on Saturday is set for 2 p.m. while Sunday’s series finale begins at 4 p.m. Wisconsin will host its first-ever Teddy Toss presented by BMO following Saturday’s game. Fans are encouraged to bring new/gently used teddy bears and stuffed animals to throw onto the ice after the game. All items will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House of Madison. Tickets for both games are available on SeatGeek.