Orangeville showed out to see Penn State and Tessa Janecke in the first round of the NCAA women's hockey tournament in Madison.
MADISON - The town of Orangeville made the short trip up to Madison, Wisconsin to see one of their very own take to the ice in the NCAA women's hockey tournament.
Tessa Janecke has been one of the best players on the Penn State roster. She leads the team in both goals and assists, while recently being announced as a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. It is for the top player in women's college hockey.
The night ended in a 1-0 overtime finish in favor of Saint Lawrence versus Penn State. It wasn't the result Janecke or her team wanted, but she was very happy to see so many people she knew there.
"It was definitely a really cool feeling to have that come full circle, and me come back to this area and get to play in front of the people I grew up with," Janecke said. "It was really special and you could feel it the entire game."
She created multiple scoring chances on the night, including an opportunity in the third period that was a near goal. It seemed that the puck didn't fully cross the goal line despite hitting the top of the net. The play was reviewed and confirmed minutes later.
Saint Lawrence's coach noticed her stellar play all night long.
"I probably said stay on her about 75 times tonight," Chris Wells said. "She still had 6-8 great scoring chances. She's a fantastic player and it was great to see the support for her here... That's what makes our game so great, is that there are a lot of really good players all over the country."
Penn State is still seeking it's first-ever tournament win in the program. There's a great chance that Janecke's presence as just a sophomore could help that happen down the line.
"Tessa is obviously a stud athlete. Growing up in [Orangeville] she was an amazing softball player, I mean she might be a better softball player than a hockey player for all I know," Penn State head coach Jeff Kampersal said. "She literally has every standard or record in our weight room except for maybe one."
Kampersal went on to say that Janecke takes her teammates out to work on drills that are not even required. That type of effort can certainly lead to different results come next season. Janecke learns if she is the nation's top hockey player on March 23rd.
