Recap The Court

Jacob Smith

There are several things you can control about a hockey game, and a lot of them have something to do with the goalie. For former Brock goalie Jensen Murphy, she took the pressure with little hesitation and even in the face of substantial adversity, she found a way to come out on top and show her skills at the highest level day in and day out. For Jensen, dealing with challenges and being thrown into the fire of being a starter of almost every game of the season was something she was very used to.

Jensen was one of the best goalies in the OUA in her final years, and it all started when she was young with her desire to be in the crease. Jensen got a lot of practice in front of the net dating back to when she first started on a team at 6 years old after learning to skate as soon as she could walk.

Playing junior hockey throughout her teenage years leading into three years in the Kingston Junior League for the Kingston Junior Ice Wolves, Jensen was stopping pucks for as long as she could remember.

With each shot she was able to save, she got better and better, a passion she says started when she saw the pros do it when she was first learning to skate, “when I was four I remember my father took me to an NHL game, it was Ottawa versus Buffalo and Dominik Hasek was goalie. I remember just watching him and thinking I want to do that.”

The dream became a reality through the KJL and her development programs, and Jensen slowly mastered the position which brought her to Brock. Jensen’s skill separated her from many others ever since her first game at Brock, and she very quickly became the primary goalie Brock turned to if they were looking to hush competition or secure a victory.

Jensen started 16 of 18 games in her rookie year of 2015, earning a save percentage of .932 which put her 12th in CIS, a starting point that would blossom to top five by the time her career was over. By her second year she was starting 22 of 22 games, with a save percentage of .938 and .942 in her third year. She was getting better and better as Brock was adding more and more wins to their tally.

Brock finished 2015 with a record of 10-17, which improved to 12-14 in 2016 and 15-17 in her third year, an improvement that had a lot to do with the foundation of players that grew over time and the mentorship provided to younger recruits for a seamless transition to the OUA. Jensen was one of those players who took pride in being a mentor and leading by example, and the example she set over her final two seasons couldn’t be much better.

In 2018-19, Jensen had a career high performance in 52 saves vs TMU on January 26, 2019, on the way to a 855 save season with a .941 save percentage. Brock finished the season 14-10 in conference games losing to the York Lions in the first round.

Rebounding from that disappointing end to the season, Jensen had her greatest individual season of her career, with a .946 save percentage which put her fifth in the country, a 1.6 goals against average which was the greatest of her career, and fourth in the country in total saves at 646. Jensen showcased her ability to the country and finished her career as one of the best,

“Murphy’s stats rank among some of the best single-season marks in program history. The goaltending great sits first in career goals-against average, save percentage, wins, saves, and, thanks to another four spotless efforts this season, shutouts.”

Stephen Leithwood, gobadgers.ca, March 2020

“The Kingston native ended her fifth, and final, season of post secondary eligibility on a high note, earning first-team all-star honours as well as being selected as the Ontario University Athletics goaltender of the year.”

St Catharines Standard, June 2020

“Jensen Murphy is one of the best goaltenders in Canadian University hockey and she’ll be worth paying attention to for years to come.”

Holly Morrison, 49-Sport, August 2020

Now in med school at the University of Limerick, Jensen has moved forward to her professional career, knocking down more and more obstacles in her path and keeping that constant push she’s had towards her dreams. Her time at Brock will forever be remembered as elite, and as she accomplishes more off the ice, the legacy Jensen leaves as an individual shines as bright as she has in what she’s pushed towards.