Illinois hockey star makes Team USA and is that much closer to Olympic dream
Tessa Janecke is a world champion.
The former All-State shortstop for Orangeville is the youngest player for the U.S. women’s hockey team that snapped a five-game losing streak against Canada to win the gold medal in the IIHF World Championships. Team USA scored the final five goals to rally for a 6-3 victory in the gold medal game Sunday night in Brampton, Ontario.
Janecke, an 18-year-old forward who was named the national freshman of the year at Penn State last month, had two goals in the semifinal win Saturday over Czechia. She scored her first international goal for Team USA in pool play and was presented the puck from that goal in the locker room afterward by USA star Hilary Knight, who has scored 100 points in international play.
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“That was definitely special,” Janecke said. “As soon as I did, I looked up in the crowd and looked at my parents. It was really cool to have them be a part of that."
Janecke grew up in a hockey family and played on youth teams in Wisconsin, but she was also one of the greatest softball players in NUIC history, leading Orangeville to a third-place finish in state as a junior. She also spent five months a year for four years at a hockey prep school in Vermont and later Massachusetts in pursuit of her Olympic dream.
She made the U.S. 18-under team before she even enrolled at Penn State. That team took second in the world championships. Now, she has moved up to what is in effect the U.S. Olympic team after five players from last year’s silver medalists at the world championships were replaced.
“I wouldn’t say I was expecting to be on it, but I was confident going in that I had a good shot if I played hard and played like I always do,” said Janecke, who was picked from a pool of 46 players after five days of tryouts in Blaine, Minnesota, in late March.
Janecke is known for her physical play. And her skillful play. She set a Penn State record for assists as a freshman this year. Her goals and points totals were second highest all-time at Penn State.
And she fit in right away on Team USA.
"You truly are a part of something bigger than yourself when you step on the ice in that jersey," Janecke said. "The whole experience was amazing. To win is a feeling I'll never forget."
Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com, @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Former Rockford-area hockey phenom that much closer to Olympic dream
