No. 3 Women’s Ice Hockey Sets AHA Record with Seven AHA Postseason Awards From Six IndividualsNo. 3 Women’s Ice Hockey Sets AHA Record with Seven AHA Postseason Awards From Six Individuals

No. 3 Women’s Ice Hockey Sets AHA Record with Seven AHA Postseason Awards From Six Individuals

Jeff Kampersal - AHA Coach of the Year, Tessa Janecke - AHA Player and Forward of the Year, Kendall Butze - Molly Byrne AHA Best Defenseman, Katie DeSa - Brianne McLaughlin AHA Goaltender of the Year, Danica Maynard - Nicole Hensley AHA Rookie of the Year, Grace Outwater - AHA Scoring Champion

BOSTON – No. 3 Penn State women’s ice hockey set an AHA record with seven AHA individual awards, won by six student-athletes, the conference announced on Thursday.  

Head Coach Jeff Kampersal earned his fifth AHA Coach of the Year award with it being his fourth in a row. Tessa Janecke was selected for her third straight AHA Player and Forward of the Year award. Kendall Butze became a back-to-back AHA Best Defenseman selection while Katie DeSa earned her second AHA Goaltender of the Year honor. Danica Maynard was tabbed AHA Rookie of the Year. Grace Outwater is the AHA Scoring Champion with 31 points in conference play.

JEFF KAMPERSAL: AHA Coach of the Year

JEFF KAMPERSAL: AHA Coach of the Year

  • Kampersal earns his fifth overall, fourth in a row, AHA Coach of the Year honor.  
  • Under his guidance, Penn State has put together another historic season during the 2025-26 campaign. The team has 31 victories, which ties a single-season program record set a year ago.  
  • The Nittany Lions seek a fourth consecutive AHA Championship victory on Saturday. The team won its fourth straight regular season title with a sweep of Delaware on January 23 and 24. 
  • Kampersal reached the 500-win mark for his career against Delaware on January 23, becoming the fifth coach in history to reach the milestone. He owns an 181-90-41 record at Penn State and a 508-351-99 mark for his career.  
  • Over the past four seasons, PSU has amassed 111 victories, good for the fifth-most in the country. 
  • Counting the nine selections this season, Kampersal has coached 45 All-CHA/AHA honorees, five CHA/AHA Players of the Year, four CHA/AHA Rookies of the Year, three CHA/AHA Best Defenseman and three CHA/AHA Goaltenders of the Year. 
  • This is his 11th time receiving a conference coach of the year honor after earning six in his time at Princeton.  
  • Kampersal has coached nine Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award nominees. 
TESSA JANECKE: Meghan Agosta AHA Player of the Year and Vicki Bendus Forward of the Year

TESSA JANECKE: Meghan Agosta AHA Player of the Year and Vicki Bendus Forward of the Year

  • Janecke becomes the first three-time AHA Player and Forward of the Year in program history after being named the program’s first three-time Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top 10 finalist on Thursday. Janecke is the first student-athlete to win AHA Player of the Year three years in a row since the award’s namesake, Meghan Agosta (2007-2009). 
  • Despite missing eight games for the Winter Olympics, in which she won a gold medal with Team USA, Janecke still leads the AHA in points with 44. Her 1.57 points per game rank first in the AHA and sixth nationally.  
  • The Orangeville, Illinois native assisted on 21 goals this season, which ties for seventh in the AHA. In terms of assists per game, Janecke leads the AHA and is tied with Butze for 14th in the country at 0.75. 
  • Janecke’s 23 goals put her in second place in the AHA, only behind fellow Nittany Lion Outwater, and tied for eighth in America. She ranks first in the conference and fourth nationally in goals per game with 0.73.  
  • One of the premier centers in collegiate women’s ice hockey, the Penn State captain owned the faceoff circle all season. She led the AHA in faceoff winning percentage at 66.9% and ranks ninth in the AHA in faceoff wins at 355. 
  • Janecke excelled in special teams situations this season. Her eight powerplay goals lead the AHA and tie for third in the country. She has scored two shorthanded goals to tie for the best mark in the AHA and tie for fourth nationally. 
  • She earned AHA Forward of the Month in September/October and November in addition to AHA Forward of the Week on October 22, November 25, January 13 and March 3. 
  • Janecke is a three-time All-AHA First Team selection and two-time All-American. 
KENDALL BUTZE: Molly Byrne AHA Best Defenseman

KENDALL BUTZE: Molly Byrne AHA Best Defenseman

  • Butze earns back-to-back AHA Best Defenseman honors after being named to the All-AHA First Team for a second season in a row on Wednesday. She is the first back-to-back AHA Best Defenseman since the award’s namesake, Molly Bryne, who it in 2014 and 2015. 
  • Butze leads Penn State and the AHA in assists with 27. Nationally, she is tied for ninth in assists and is tied for 14th in assists per game at 0.75.  
  • Among defensemen, the senior's 32 points are tied for the fifth-most and her 27 assists rank fourth in the country.  
  • Butze became the program’s all-time leader in points by a defenseman against Robert Morris on January 31. She currently sits at 93 career points.  
  • The Cleveland, Ohio native set a new career high in points, goals (5) and assists this season. She also set a career best in blocks with 45, which are the most on the team. 
  • Butze has the fifth-best plus/minus in the conference at +36. 
  • She was tabbed AHA Defenseman of the Month in January in addition to AHA Defenseman of the Week on November 18 and January 27. 
KATIE DESA: Brianne McLaughlin AHA Goaltender of the Year

KATIE DESA: Brianne McLaughlin AHA Goaltender of the Year

  • DeSa is the AHA Goaltender of the Year for the second year in a row in addition to a second All-AHA First Team honor. She is the second netminder to win the award two seasons in a row and is also the conference's goaltending champion with a 0.942 save percentage.
  • She was named a semifinalist for the Hockey Commissioners Association Goalie of the Year Award earlier in the season. 
  • She owns a 25-3 record in the 2025-26 season. She has the third best winning percentage in the country, first in the AHA, at 0.893.  
  • The senior’s 11 shutouts lead the country and are the most in a single season in program history.  
  • Desa boasts a 0.935 save percentage and allows just 1.30 goals per game. Both marks lead the conference with her save percentage ranking 12th in the country and her goals against average placing her second.  
  • The Pawcatuck, Connecticut native has made 501 saves this season. 
  • DeSa was tabbed AHA Goaltender of the Month for September/October and November. She was named AHA Goaltender of the Week on September 30, October 21, November 4 and February 10. 
DANICA MAYNARD: Nicole Hensley AHA Rookie of the Year

DANICA MAYNARD: Nicole Hensley AHA Rookie of the Year

  • Maynard was named to the All-AHA Second Team and All-AHA Rookie Team on Wednesday. 
  • She ranks fourth nationally, first among freshmen, in points by a defenseman with 33. That mark is tied for eighth in the AHA when compared to all skaters and are the most by a defenseman. Maynard is tied for ninth in points by a freshman when factoring in forwards as well. She is tied with Mikah Keller for the second-most points by a freshman in the AHA.  
  • The Lake Country, British Columbia native currently has the most points scored by a defenseman in a single season in program history.   
  • Her 24 assists are tied for the fourth-most in the AHA and are the most by a freshman defenseman in the country. Compared to the nation’s defensemen, she is seventh in assists. Among all freshman skaters, she places eighth in assists. Her 0.64 assists per game rank eighth in the conference.  
  • Five of Maynard’s nine goals have been scored on the power play, which is tied for the fifth best mark in the AHA and tied for 24th in the country.  
  • The freshman leads the league in plus/minus at +43.  
  • Maynard was tabbed AHA Defenseman of the Month for September/October as well as AHA Defenseman of the Week on October 14 and 21, November 25 and February 10. Maynard was named AHA Rookie of the Week on March 3. 
GRACE OUTWATER: AHA Scoring Champion

GRACE OUTWATER: AHA Scoring Champion

  • Outwater led the AHA with 31 points in conference play. The sophomore’s 40 total points are third in the conference and ties for 22nd nationally. She averages 1.21 points per game, which is second in the AHA and 18th in the country. 
  • The sophomore was named to the All-AHA First Team on Wednesday after being named to the Rookie Team last year. 
  • She paced the AHA in goals with 24 this season. She ranks second in the league in goals per game at 0.73. Her total goals tie for fifth in NC women’s ice hockey while her goals per game rank seventh.  
  • Six of those goals have been game-winners, which ties with Roberts for the AHA lead and is tied for the third best in the nation. 
  • Outwater finished tied for the league lead with two shorthanded goals, which is tied for the third-most nationally. 
  • The Picton, Ontario native has sent 158 shots this season and averages 4.79 shots per game. Both are second in the AHA behind Janecke. Her +37 plus/minus rating is tied for third in the conference. 

No. 3 Penn State returns to action against No. 12 Mercyhurst in the AHA Tournament Championship on Saturday at 2 p.m. inside Pegula Ice Arena. The Nittany Lions are seeking a fourth straight AHA Tournament title. 

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