Faster than a speeding bullet from the run and gun, it’s Turbo Man.
Turbo Man, as the fans have dubbed him, is Icers’ blazing senior forward Dave Murphy.
“In a hockey team full of speedsters, he is the fastest,” Coach Joe Battista said. “When we did electronic speed checks, his speeds fell among the fastest Olympic and pro skaters.”
The Icers plan to take full advantage of their speed in their matches with Eastern Michigan at 9 p.m. tonight and at 3:30 tommorrow at the ice pavilion. The Icers recently beat the Eagles 8-3 in the Michigan Dearborn Tournament, but Battista said Eastern was flat, and expects to see a much bigger effort this time around.
“There in a situation now where they have to win,” he said. “I think that they will come at us a lot harder.”
Murphy, however, feels the Icers will still give Eastern Michigan the “run” around.
“They don’t have the speed that we do,” Murphy said. “They can’t skate with us. They will try to play a physical match, and take out our bodies, but we can play the physical match too.”
Murphy said he has been learning the physical side of things since he began observing hockey. He grew up watching the Johnstown Chiefs, whom the movie Slapshot was based on.
Since that time, he has developed the finesse aspect of his match, and the blazing speed that has earned him the title Turbo Man.
This blazing speed, however, is not limited to his skating. Murphy is rapidly closing in on the 200 point mark, and at 5-foot-8, 170-pounds his checking skills are jolting.
“Despite his not being very big, he is a tenacious forechecker,” Battista said. “He has worked hard at building himself up, and has become one of the strongest players on the team.”
Murphy said he knew his size, or lack there of, was not very appealing to a coaching staff, so he started lifting weights for hours daily.
“I added about 20 to 25 pounds of muscle weight to myself,” Murphy said. “Now I can go into the corners with confidence, and it has improved my game incredibly.”
Murphy’s improved checking skills have played a big part in why the Icers power play has become a dominant force this season.
“(Murphy) and Chris (Cervellero) combine their speed and forechecking,” Battista said, “and I’ve seen them keep the opponents in their own end the entire time that we’re short handed.”
Murphy’s speed also comes into play on the attack, and has turned out nine goals and seven assists already this season.
“Dave is really fast, but it isn’t just on the open ice,” senior forward Mark Konchar said, “his moves are quick too, which makes it really hard on the goalies.”
Murphy, and the other six seniors, has been giving goalies fits for the past four years, and said it comes from their dedication.
“We’ve been committed for the past four years,” Murphy said. “That is what has made the difference. That commitment has given us our success, and that is what will bring us to the top this year.”