Tessa Janecke Named Top-10 Finalist for 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial AwardTessa Janecke Named Top-10 Finalist for 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

Tessa Janecke Named Top-10 Finalist for 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

Janecke earns recognition for the most prestigious award in collegiate women’s ice hockey for the third year in a row

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 3 Penn State women’s ice hockey’s Tessa Janecke was named a top-10 finalist for the 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award on Thursday.  

This is Janecke’s third consecutive season being nominated for the award, which is given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey. She is the first three-time nominee in program history.

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  • 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. That mark is good for 11th nationally. Her 1.57 points per game rank first in the AHA and fifth in the country.  
  • The Penn State points leader, for both the men’s and women’s programs, is nearing a historic milestone of 200 career points with 197 to her name. 
  • The Orangeville, Illinois native has notched 21 assists this season, which ties her for seventh in the AHA and fourth on the team. In terms of assists per game, Janecke leads the AHA and is tied for 13th in the country at 0.75. 
  • Janecke’s 23 goals place her second in the conference, only behind fellow Nittany Lion Grace Outwater, and tied for eighth among all collegiate women’s ice hockey skaters. She sits atop the conference leaderboard and fourth nationally in goals per game with 0.82.  
  • One of the premier centers in America, the Penn State captain owned the faceoff circle all season. She leads the AHA in faceoff winning percentage at 66.9%, ranking fifth in the league and 25th in the country in faceoff wins at 355. 
  • Janecke excelled in special teams situations this season. Her eight powerplay goals tie for second in the country while leading the AHA. The senior has scored two shorthanded goals to tie for the best mark in the conference and tie for fourth in NC women’s ice hockey. 
  • Janecke was tabbed an All-AHA First Team selection on Wednesday. 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 and January 13. 
  • Janecke is a two-time AHA Player and Forward of the Year winner, three-time All-AHA First Team selection and two-time All-American.

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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