UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Julie Gough's game-winning shot in overtime of the CHA Championship to defeat Mercyhurst propelled Penn State to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Nittany Lions are locked in on replicating that success with that standard as a benchmark.
Penn State received its championship rings Thursday afternoon at the same place Gough's championship clinching wrist-shot found the back of the net over six months ago. In a quiet Pegula Ice Arena, the feeling of achievement returned and reignited the fire for a team ready to run it back.
Gough now dons the "C" as the captain for Penn State and has eclipsed 127 games in a Nittany Lions uniform. Gough reflected on that signature moment and said that goal was for "everyone that came running off the bench."
Gough ranks fifth all-time in goals at Penn State and shared that this is a "hungry" group who already has a top-5 win under its belt following an upset of Northeastern. The Newcastle, Ontario, native is guiding the team by expressing the necessity to improve day-by-day and is orchestrating a unique level of togetherness.
"Just the chemistry that we have, I know it sounds cliche, and I feel like every team says this, but we're truly family and we hold each other accountable," Gough said. "We can say whatever we need to say, no hard feelings with anything, just always positivity so that's what's really exciting about this team."
Sophomore forward Tessa Janecke returns to Happy Valley after winning CHA Rookie of the Year and USCHO Co-Rookie of the Year honors. The Orangeville, Illinois, product posted 47 points on 22 goals and 25 assists in her freshman season and is a threat to score from anywhere on the ice.
Janecke experienced winning on the world's stage after playing for team USA at the Women's World Championship where she brought home a gold medal. The sophomore outlined how building on the culture and continuously improving that is what creates championships and ring ceremonies.
Janecke is an alternate captain for the 2023-24 campaign and has jumped into her leadership role in her second year of college hockey. Janecke recognized that this group will have to focus on "trusting each other and knowing our strengths" while upholding that winning culture to get back to the big stage of the NCAA Tournament.
"It's like anything else, you have to put the time into it," Janecke said. "Every week we focus on how our weekend went and what we can improve on. It's just like practice, you need to do that to get better, you need to do this to get better and be able to have those vulnerable conversations and be honest with each other."
Senior netminder Josie Bothun is the winningest goalie in Penn State history and shattered the single-season win record with 26 victories last season. Bothun has played in 92 games with a program best .928 save percentage but knows every year brings a "new vibe."
Bothun is focused on playing with "20 of my best friends" and being present in the various moments the season brings. Bothun has logged over 5,400 minutes between the pipes and knows it's about being focused with a mindset of playing "one game at a time."
"I think we're focused on building on each game," Bothun said. "It's one shift at a time, one puck at a time, one game at a time. I feel like if you look too far ahead, you can get wrapped up in what could be and we just need to build on our process right now."
