Tessa Janecke Tabbed Top-Three Finalist for Patty Kazmaier Memorial AwardTessa Janecke Tabbed Top-Three Finalist for Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

Tessa Janecke Tabbed Top-Three Finalist for Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

Janecke becomes the first woman in program history to receive the honor

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Tessa Janecke was named Penn State women’s ice hockey’s first Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-Three Finalist in program history, according to a USA Hockey Foundation announcement on Wednesday. 

The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I Women’s Ice Hockey. The winner of the 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be announced on Saturday, March 21 during a live ceremony at the HUB-Robeson Center. The show will begin at 12:30 p.m. and be broadcast live on NHL Network as part of the Frozen Four festivities in Happy Valley. 

Janecke was named a top-10 finalist for the award on March 5 for the third consecutive year. This season, the senior earned AHA Player and Forward of the Year for a third straight year, becoming just the second woman in league history to do so. Janecke has been an All-AHA First Team selection all four years of her career. 

The captain has helped lead No. 3 Penn State to a fourth consecutive AHA Tournament Championship on March 7 as the Nittany Lions defeated Mercyhurst, 3-2, at Pegula Ice Arena. She was named the AHA Tournament Most Outstanding Player with five points in three games, including a hat trick in game one of the AHA Semifinals in PSU’s 7-0 rout of Syracuse. 

“We are proud of Tessa; she is certainly deserving of this Patty Kazmaier recognition. From scoring two goals against Wisconsin in her very first game in a PSU uniform until now, Tessa has set a new standard for Penn State hockey in terms of work ethic in the weight room, in the classroom and every practice,” said head coach Jeff Kampersal. “Tessa and her classmates made program history by winning four league titles in all four years of their eligibility. Tessa has been dominant in all three zones, especially tenacious in the faceoff circle, and has given our program a physical edge. Tessa has also made Patty proud.” 

The Orangeville, Illinois native represented the United States at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. She became the first Penn State athlete to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. Janecke is no stranger to winning gold with Team USA, as she has won gold at the IIHF World Championships in 2023 and 2025. She scored the golden goal to beat Canada to win gold in 2025. 

STUFFING THE STAT SHEET

STUFFING THE STAT SHEET

  • Entering the 2026 NC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship, Janecke has 45 points on 23 goals and 22 assists this season. She ranks sixth nationally in points per game (1.55) and 12th in total points. The senior leads the AHA in both categories. 
  • The Penn State career points leader, for both the men’s and women’s programs, is nearing a historic milestone of 200 career points with 198 to her name. 
  • The captain is fourth in the nation in goals per game (0.79) and 12h overall in goals. Janecke sits atop the conference leaderboard in goals per game while her 23 goals place her second in the conference, only behind fellow Nittany Lion Grace Outwater. 
  • Janecke has the 11th-most assists per game in the country at 0.76. That mark leads the AHA. 
  • One of the premier centers in America, Janecke owned the faceoff circle all season. She leads the AHA in faceoff winning percentage at 67.0% while ranking sixth in the league and 27th in the country in faceoff wins with 372. 
  • Janecke excelled in special teams situations this season. Her eight powerplay goals tie for third in the country and lead the AHA. The senior has scored two shorthanded goals to tie for the best mark in the conference and tie for fifth nationally. 

Janecke and No. 3 Penn State will face the winner of No. 6 UConn and No. 9 Princeton on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Pegula Ice Arena in the Penn State Regional Final of the NC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship. PSU looks for its first NC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship win in program history, which would also give the program its first appearance in the Frozen Four. Penn State is hosting the Frozen Four at Pegula Ice Arena from March 20-22. 

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