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COLLEGE HOCKEY: WAVERLY GRAD MURPHY TAKES THE LONG ROAD TO COLLEGE HOCKEY COMMITMENT WITH CHATHAM UNIVERSITY (2020-04-08)

BY TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
CHEMUNG - The Valley is not exactly a hot bed of hockey, but Waverly grad Liam Murphy has verbally committed to play collegiate hockey at Chatham University, located in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Murphy, whose talents also drew interest from Anna Maria (Worcester, Mass.), Morrisville State, and Elmira College, said Chatham was exactly what he was looking for.

"I liked the school, and I liked the area. I liked it was close to Pittsburgh," he said. "God forbid I get injured, but if I do, there will be things to do to keep me sane; that played a part in my decision.

"Really, though, academics was a massive factor," added Murphy. "Chatham has what I want academically. I want to be an athletic trainer, and for post-grad I can either go for physical therapy or to be a physician's assistant."

It's not all that common for true freshmen to play at the college level, but Murphy could be an exception.

"I spoke with (the Chatham coaches) throughout the season, then at the top prospects tournament in February the coaching staff offered me," said Murphy. "Once I was accepted (into Chatham) I made my choice."

Murphy, a 2017 Waverly grad and native of Chemung, knows what he needs to work on to play at Chatham, a Division III program, which plays in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference with Utica College, Elmira College, Wilkes, Kings, and Nazareth.

"I'm really just working on speed," he said. "To be able to play at a high speed is a must to be successful anywhere.

"Being a little bigger, it's more difficult to play at the pace of someone who's about 5-9, so I definitely need to work on my speed and flexibility," noted Murphy.

"I have a pretty hard shot, and can be physical. I like to play both ends of the ice, a 200-foot game ... back-check and fore-check, all that good stuff," added Murphy.  "I just need to work on speed, and be in shape for camp next fall."

Murphy expects to play on the wing in college.

"I'll play on the wing, more than center, because I can take a hit on the wall to get the puck out of the zone."

The real question is how does a kid from Chemung end up playing college hockey"

"It all started with the Elmira Jackals," he said. "We had season tickets when I was little. I loved it, and I started playing hockey when I was 2 or 3 years old.

"I played out of the First Arena until I was 9 or 10, then played in Binghamton. We were driving to Binghamton two or three times a week for practice," he noted. "After two years in Binghamton, I came back to Elmira and started playing travel hockey, but I got hurt when I was 13 and didn't play for quite a while."

Six years to be exact, thanks to a string of concussions that forced him to hang up his skates at the tender age of 13, just when he was starting to make a name for himself.

"In the hockey community, when you're a little younger there's a saying, "˜either you're hurt or you're injured, and if you're hurt you better not lay there,'" added Murphy. "It was kind of like, rub some dirt on it, and get back out there.

"I was ranked pretty high in (New York) state when I was 13, but injuries happen," said Murphy. "No doctor could clear me, so I had to play other sports."

Murphy kept himself busy, playing four years of soccer at Waverly, and dabbling in other sports - one year of JV basketball and one year of golf. He even played one year of soccer at Corning Community College, but fate reared its head in the fall of 2018.

"I played soccer at CCC in the fall of 2017, and was looking to play soccer elsewhere "” Division II or III, but I ran into one of my old junior hockey teammates, who was playing in Binghamton," said Murphy. "I had a job at the outdoor ice rink in Corning, and my friend said "˜you can still skate and play, you should come to a try-out and see what happens.'

"After the try-out, they told me they were interested, and asked me where I played last year," noted Murphy. "I told them I hadn't played in six years, and the next day they wanted me to sign with them.

"I signed about a month later," he added.

Murphy made the most of his second chance, scoring 11 goals and dishing out 20 assists in 45 games in 2018-19 with the Binghamton Junior Senators, and tallying 46 points - 21 goals and 25 assists - in 46 games with the Elmira Junior Soaring Eagles this season.

Murphy said he never really expected to lace up his skates again competitively.

"I had dreams where I'd be playing hockey, and wished I could still play," he said. "But I didn't really think I would ever play again.

"For me, my dream was to play college hockey, and to play professionally, like every little kid dreams to make it big some day," added Murphy. "That's what I always wanted to be, it was never "˜I want to be a physical therapist.'"

With a history of concussions, Murphy realizes he's only one big hit away from trouble, but said things have changed since he was younger.

"New technology helps," said Murphy. "They've had a lot of technological advancements with the new equipment, but I was younger and a lot skinnier when I go my concussions. At that age, your brain is developing and when you get hit hard it takes a toll.

"And I was playing up age group, with bigger, stronger kids ... they were a year or two older for the most part. I think that had a lot to do with it.

"I think in the last two years, I can count on one hand the number of times I've been hit, and thought "˜that was a hard hit," noted Murphy.

"I think a lot of it has to do with your movement on the puck, off the puck, how you play, and whether or not you're ready for a hit.

"Size also has something to do with it as well," added Murphy, who was 6-1 and 150 pounds in high school, and now stands 6-3 and weights 210 pounds.

"”"”"”"”"”"”

IN PHOTO: Liam Murphy.


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