Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 4 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M W hen Penn State women's ice hockey coach Jeff Kampersal signed Tessa Janecke four years ago, he knew the young forward from Or- angeville, Ill., had ambitious goals. That was a big part of her appeal. "Coming to Penn State, Tessa wanted to make history, not join history," Kam- persal told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "No question, Tessa has elevated all the stan- dards in our program." Since her arrival in State College in 2022, Janecke has indeed been everything Kampersal could have hoped, and then some. She was the American Hockey Coaches Association's National Rookie of the Year after totaling 22 goals and 25 assists as a freshman and has kept up her relentless scoring pace in the years that followed. Earlier this season, the senior forward became the program's all-time leader in goals and points. Through the first 23 games of her senior campaign, she had scored 79 times and assisted on 109 goals for 188 points. Better still for the Nittany Lions, her personal accomplishments have trans- lated into team success. Since Janecke joined the program, Penn State has gone 101-32-6 and made three NCAA Tourna- ment appearances. But even that isn't enough to satisfy Janecke. Her loftiest goal has long been to complete at the sport's highest level. Making the Olympics, she said, "was al- ways my dream." Now, that dream, too, is about to come true. When Team USA takes the ice against Czechia on Feb. 5 at the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Janecke will be representing her country. She was named to the team in January, becoming the first Penn State ice hockey player to make a U.S. Olympic squad. It's a thrilling accomplishment for the veteran forward. "Going to college games and seeing those players on national teams, players I'm now playing with, I think it shows that no dream is ever too big if you work hard for it," she told the Inquirer. Janecke has plenty of international experience. She heads to the Olympics having played in 38 games with the U.S. Senior National Team, during which she amassed 28 points on 13 goals and 15 as- sists. Janecke scored the winning goal in Team USA's 4-3 overtime thriller over Canada at the IIHF World Champion- ships last April in Czechia. After opening the Olympic tourna- ment against Czechia, the U.S. will face its other Group A opponents — Finland, Switzerland and Canada — in the pre- liminary round. The gold medal game will take place Feb. 19, and the Americans are among the favorites after falling to Team Canada, 3-2, in the final at the Beijing Games in 2022. To participate in the Olympics, Janecke will miss about a month of the current college season. The Nittany Lions have some big dreams of their own this year. They were 21-4 overall and 15-1 in the At- lantic Hockey America conference and were up to fourth in the USCHO Division I poll heading into a Jan. 20 visit to Cornell. With the Frozen Four set to take place at Pegula Ice Arena in March, Penn State is hoping to be able to vie for a title on its home ice. For the next few weeks, though, Ja- necke's focus will be on bringing a gold medal back to her home country. She ac- knowledged that the Olympics are "on a much bigger scale with a lot more eyes on you." But she's eager to take up that challenge. "It's always an honor to throw on your flag … and appreciate what has led you to that moment," she said. "You just have to be grateful for how you've gotten there and how it's set you up for these mo- ments." ■ GOING FOR GOLD Women's ice hockey standout Tessa Janecke will compete for Team USA at the Milan Olympics M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M OLYMPIC SPORTS Hall, Adolfsson To Represent Sweden At Olympics Senior forward Tessa Janecke won't be the only Penn State women's ice hockey player competing at the upcoming Winter Olympics. On Jan. 12, sophomore forward Nicole Hall was named to Sweden's roster, where she will be joined by defender Jessica Adolfsson, a 2021 PSU graduate. Hall has played 15 international games with the Swedish Senior National Team and cap - tained the country's U18 squad at the World Championships in 2021-22. The Stockholm na- tive is currently in the midst of a strong collegiate season, ranking fifth on the Nittany Lions with 8 g oals through 25 games. Adolfsson totaled 26 points during her career at Penn State, the seventh-most by a PSU de - fender. A native of Linkoping in southeastern Sweden, she moved on to a professional career in her native country and was a member of the national team that competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Sweden is set to open the Olympic tournament Feb. 5 against Germany. The Swedes are in Group B, which also includes Italy, France and Japan. — Matt Herb Janecke is Penn State's career leader in goals (76) and points (185). She will miss about a month of the regular season while competing at the Winter Olympics in February. PHOTO BY MEGAN SMARKUSKY/PENN STATE ATHLETICS