Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.Murray is in his second season in the USHL and his first as a Lancer. The St. Cloud State recruit played for the Fargo Force last season, scoring 12 points in 33 games. Murray scored his 10th goal of the season Sunday in Omaha's 6-2 win against Fargo. He leads the Lancers in scoring with 40 points and is first in the USHL in assists with 30 after 37 games.
Q: Coming into a new team, what did you think your chances were of being the leading scorer?
A: Having played in the league the year before, I thought I could have an impact. I didn't know who a lot of the big point guys were coming in, but I didn't really think about it. I just wanted to work as hard as I could to prove I deserved to be in the league.
Q: You lead the league in assists. What kind of feeling do you get from putting your teammates in position to be successful?
A: I take a lot of pride in it. Feels good to be part of a scoring play, whether you're setting someone up for a back-door tap-in or just getting a nice pass to them to knock it in, it's a really good feeling. I play with two really good goal scorers but they both pass well, too. I just need to get in front of the net more often and bear down when I get a chance to score a goal.
Q: Two years ago you were at the Lancers tryout camp but didn't make the team. Where have you improved the most since then to get where you're at now?
A: Just being an overall better player both offensively and defensively. A lot of it is just being smarter and adjusting to the speed of the game. You just have to be a lot quicker so you can make a lot more plays. In this league, when you get the puck, someone is on you pretty quickly and you have to make that much quicker of a decision.
Q: What are the biggest differences between being a first-year and second-year player in the USHL?
A: This year, I'm a lot more comfortable and confident on the ice. The first year, you don't know what to expect right away. In the second year, you know what it's going to be, what's coming your way, and you feel a lot more comfortable.
Q: In Fargo last year, you were on the other side of one of the more intense USHL rivalries. What's it like to be on the other side of that matchup this season?
A: It's really pretty interesting. Last year, coming in to Omaha I knew this is a good team and we beat them a lot in playoffs. You could tell it was intense and that the teams didn't like each other very much. The first couple of times this year I wanted to get a little revenge and show them I was a better player. But after those games, it's just kind of become they're another rival who's playing well right now. I just have to bring it and play better than they are.
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
