Tessa Janecke Etches Legacy in Hockey Valley

Tessa Janecke changed Penn State women’s hockey. 

I am writing this article right after the 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award ceremony which honors the most outstanding player in women’s college hockey. This year, the award was won by Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey. Janecke was Penn State’s first finalist and ultimately fell just short of winning the award. However, the impact that she made during her career as a Penn State Nittany Lion is far greater than any accolade. 

Janecke arrived in Happy Valley in the summer of 2022 by way of the North America Hockey Academy and Team USA’s U18 squad. And right from the get go, head coach Jeff Kampersal knew he had someone special. In an interview ahead of the 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Show, Kampersal emphasized that “Our program started winning when Tessa and her teammates arrived on campus the summer of 2022.” 

And winning is what Tessa and the Nittany Lions did. In her freshman season, Janecke helped the Nittany Lions to a 27-9-2 record and their first of four straight Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) conference championships (during that time the AHA was the CHA, but those conferences later merged and kept the AHA namesake.) WIth her impressive statistics Janecke earned USCHO Co-Rookie of the Year, a spot on the All-USCHO Rookie Team and CHA Rookie of the Year. 

During that same season, when Janecke wasn’t in the blue and white, she was winning a gold medal in the red, white and blue.

Then, during her sophomore season, Janecke made more noise on the national stage. Janecke earned an invitation to the U.S. Women’s National Team Evaluation Camp which then led to her being selected to the team for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship that season.

That year, the Nittany Lions went 22-13-3 and once again won the AHA before falling in the NCAA Tournament regional semifinal to Saint Lawerence. Janecke’s sophomore campaign was highlighted by a selection on the CCM/AHCA Second-Team Division I All-American Team. Janecke also was awarded CHA Player and Forward of the Year along with a spot on the First-Team All-CHA Team.  As if that wasn’t enough, Janecke made her first appearance as a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award finalist with a top ten finish. 

Just when people thought that Janecke couldn’t possibly get any better, she did just that. During the 2024-2025 season, Janecke scored the golden goal that secured a gold medal for the United States at the 2025 IIHF World Championships. 

Penn State had a strong season that year going 31-6-1, winning the conference and making it all the way to the NCAA Regional Semifinal where the Nittany Lions once again fell to Saint Lawerence, but this time by a score of 4-1. 

In her junior year, Janecke compiled another CCM/AHCA Second-Team Division I All-American Team selection, a selection on the All-USCHO Second Team, AHA Player and Forward of the Year honors, a spot on the All-AHA First-Team, the AHA scoring championship  and second appearance as a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award finalist with a top ten finish. 

Then, it was time for one last go around. A farewell season that was nothing short of historic. This season, the Penn State Nittany Lions collected 33 wins, a program record, and lost only six times. On top of that, for the first time in program history following the fourth AHA championship in the last four seasons, the Nittany Lions beat UCONN in the NCAA regional final and punched their ticket to the 2026 Women’s Frozen Four.

And, in poetic fashion, this year’s Frozen Four was at Pegula Ice Arena, the home of the Nittany Lions.

Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions suffered a heart breaking overtime loss to the Wisconsin Badgers in the Frozen Four Semifinal by a score of 4-3. Janecke scored twice, including a breakaway goal to tie the game in the final minutes and force overtime. Even in defeat, it was an indelible moment that could transcend generations for a program that’s still building momentum. Despite the pain from the loss, this season has put Penn State Women’s Hockey on a much different trajectory.

And for Janecke, she only increased her production. Janecke was sixth in the nation and first in the conference in points per game (1.55) and 11th in the country and first in the conference in assists per game (.76). In addition, Jancecke was first in the AHA in faceoff percentage (.67) with a total of 372 faceoff wins in 29 games played. She was also named as a CCM/AHCA First-Team All-American and a top three finalist for Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. 

However, Janecke’s greatest accomplishment, not only of the season, but also her career, came for team USA. In February of 2026, Janecke earned herself the title of Olympic Gold Medalist as she helped the United States Women’s National Team to its third ever Olympic Gold. In fact, she was on the ice for the overtime winning goal in the United States’ thrilling victory over Canada. 

During her career, Janecke amassed a total of 113 wins, 89 goals (a program record), 112 assists (a program record), four AHA championships, four All-AHA first team nods, three AHA Player of the Year Awards, an AHA Forward of the Year Award, three Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award finalist selections  (the only player in program history to do so) and numerous other awards and records.  

Before Tessa Janecke, Penn State Women’s Hockey was a program that was just trying to get off the ground. Now, Penn State Women’s Hockey is a force to be reckoned with, and a force that will dominate women’s college hockey for years to come. 

It’s very rare that a single player can single-handedly turn a program around. And, at least in my lifetime, I have never seen it, at least at the collegiate level. What Janecke did will never happen again in the history of this program. She was the one. She’s the first. And there can only be one first. For that reason, hockey fans, not just Penn State fans, should truly appreciate Janecke as a player. Because, she changed Penn State women’s hockey.