Four Standout Players from the November Rivalry Series

The November Rivalry Series is behind us, with the United States taking both games. Team USA won the first game 4-1 in Cleveland, then took a 6-1 victory in Buffalo a few days later.

This year's iteration of the Rivalry Series feels more important than years past, given that the Olympics are right around the corner. Two wins—or two losses—shouldn't be taken as any sort of indicator for what might happen in Milan, but certainly some players have left more of a mark than others in their goal to make the roster.

Taylor Heise

Twenty-five year old Taylor Heise is aiming for her first Olympic roster, and if we're looking at these two games... she's as close to a lock as you can get. The Minnesota Frost forward had a four-point night in Cleveland, scoring USA's opening goal and contributing two primary assists and a secondary assist.

She followed that up with an impressive play on USA's fifth goal on Saturday, executing a flawless fake and drop pass that led to a goal by Hayley Scamurra.

Heise has represented the United States in the last four World Championships and has been on the Rivalry Series roster for four seasons. She was named best forward and tournament MVP at Worlds in 2022. Domestically, she's headed into her third PWHL season and is a two-time Walter Cup champion.

"When I came on, it was apparent that you had an elite athlete out there, especially amongst our player group at that time," said head coach John Wroblewski of Heise.

"There's a really confident woman there," he added. "Even back when she hadn't made the team yet, there was an internal belief that she could do it. I also think that there's something magical about her in the superstar realm. If she wants it, it's going to happen. She's got that magic around her, and I think we're getting a glimpse of it."

Abbey Murphy

University of Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy is one of a few collegiate players on Team USA, and she's looking to secure a roster spot and head to her second Olympics.

Murphy recorded a natural hat trick in Thursday's win, but it's not just her scoring that helps her stand out. She plays a physical game and isn't afraid to get in everyone's way - and face. (Of course, the offense certainly helps.)

Through 12 NCAA games with the Golden Gophers this season, Murphy leads the team with 16 goals and 25 points. She's second in the country in scoring, behind only Quinnipiac's Kahlen Lamarche (27 points in 14 games). She doesn't just score; she also likes to shoot. Her 77 shots are third-most in the country and equate to an average of six shots per game.

Murphy previously represented the USA at the 2022 Olympics, where she appeared in seven games and notched one assist while winning silver. She's also a four-time medalist at World Championships. Last season, she was a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.

Ève Gascon & Kayle Osborne

Two Canadian goaltenders both made their senior national team debuts, and that's no easy feat. But, as head coach Troy Ryan pointed out after the series, it's about the experience for Minnesota-Duluth netminder Ève Gascon and New York Sirens goaltender Kayle Osborne.

"You just want to give them some experience on what it's like on a game day, preparing for a game against the US," he said. "What's it like in the warm-up? This is stuff that they haven't experienced before, so just to give them that opportunity is really, really important."

Gascon faced 26 shots in her 4-1 loss, while Osborne saw 32 shots, but also had a little bit of an upperhand after watching Thursday's game.

"We saw some of the forecheck that the US did against Gascon—puck plays and puck touches—so we were able to help Osborne with more soutions for that in game two," Ryan said.

"Other than that one play where she got stuck out and the goal went in against her, I thought she did a really good job with patience," he added. "For a young player, to have that sort of forecheck coming at you... you can see how many times she actually stood behind the net and just kind of surveyed the situation and made a great play. I thought she did really, really well in that situation."

Gascon, 22, was named to the 2025 Worlds roster but did not play. (She dressed in two games.) Other than that, her lone experience representing Canada came at U18s in 2020. Osborne also played in that same U18 tournament, her lone national team experience to date.