When Penn State hockey player Tessa Janecke scored the overtime goal in the 2025 IIHF World Championships, securing the gold for Team USA, the hockey world went wild. But for the 20-year-old Illinois native, it didn’t even feel real. “I wasn’t super confident in overtime. It was honestly just hard for me to believe at first,” Janecke tells Her Campus in an exclusive interview. “It’s not like it was my Penn State team, where you’re expected to be the person that does that.”
But Janecke did do that. “It was a boost of confidence in my spot on that team,” she says. It’s a team she’s played on since 2022, when she helped win silver in the Under 18 Women’s World Championship. And in the years since, Janecke not only won gold for Team USA, but also became the all-time leading points scorer for Penn State’s women’s hockey in January of this year.
Now in her junior season with Penn State, Janecke wants younger hockey players to know, “It doesn’t always have to be the big name. Just try hockey and to try to achieve your goals the best you can. And if you just keep working, things will turn out your way.”
Her Campus spoke to Janecke fresh off of her championship win to talk about the game of hockey, life as a student athlete, and what celebrating a win looks like for her.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What does it feel like to be the one who sealed the gold for Team USA?
It was honestly just hard for me to believe at first. I mean, it’s still kind of not sitting right with me. It’s not like it was my Penn State team, where you’re expected to be the person that does that. It was just hard to believe, but I think it’s just kind of a boost of confidence as my spot on that team.
How do you mentally prepare for a high stake game like that, especially a gold medal final?
I just kind of lean on those teammates in the room. A lot of those veterans, you look at them and you can see that they’re locked in. It helps to have them reassure you — I think that’s all you can do in that moment.
What first pulled you towards hockey when you were growing up, and what made you know you wanted to continue playing when you got to college?
It kind of just started as something to do. My parents just put me in a bunch of sports, but the competitiveness of it and the speed and everything that comes with hockey, how fast you have to think [intrigued me] — and just following what my older brother did. I always liked competing with him, and growing up, we didn’t live far from Madison, so we always went to Badger games. I think just from doing all that, and then just for the love of the game, I was like “This is what I want to do, and I want to go to the Olympics.”
Was it in high school, college, or just all throughout your hockey career that you would fantasize about going to the Olympics?
As I became older, it became more of a goal I can physically work towards and mentally work towards, but when I was little, it was like, “Write what you want to do when you’re older,” [and I would write], “I want to go to the Olympics at some point.”
How do you balance being a student athlete at Penn State while also playing at an elite level?
It’s not super hard, you just have to be disciplined in your schoolwork like you’re disciplined in your sport. But I try to, on the weekends, not focus as much about school. [Weekends] are designated for hockey, but if you have to do work, you have to do work.
Is there anything fans might not know about life as a college athlete?
I don’t know if fans actually understand how much time we have to put into our sport on top of going to school. I think some of those students think we’re all dumb and take easy classes, whereas a lot of students on our team, and my teammates, are working towards science degrees or engineering. We’re not just all dumb athletes.
How do you typically celebrate your big wins?
A lot of times it’s just celebrating with my teammates and just being around each other. After that, it gives you a warm feeling of appreciation for each other. Sometimes, getting a moment alone is nice though — just getting a moment to yourself to think about it and it’s just like “Yeah, we did it.”
What do you think has been your proudest moment all throughout the entirety of your hockey career?
Just being at Penn State. I’m proud to say that I go here and can do what I do at a school that’s not known as well in women’s hockey. I think that’s kind of a testament to who I am, and it’s shaped me into the person and player I am — I’m just proud to be here.
If you could tell your younger self one thing, whether it’s related to hockey or not, what would it be?
It’s cliché, but just keep working. I came from a town of less than 800 people. My graduating class was less than 25. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. If you work hard enough, your name will eventually get out there. Just keep working.