MADISON — It took five extra months, but Orangeville senior Tessa Janecke will finally get to show off her skills on the ice against the best teenagers in the world. 

The IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship will be held in Madison June 6-13 after the coronavirus pandemic led to the tournament being canceled in Sweden in January.

USA Hockey on March 21 announced games for the eight-nation tournament will be split between the University of Wisconsin’s LaBahn Arena and Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena, which is home to the USHL Madison Capitols.

It was a year ago that Janecke was selected to be a member of Team USA’s Women’s U-18 roster. The U-18 women’s worlds haven’t been held since the United Stated beat Canada in 2020 in Slovakia. The 2021 tournament was originally scheduled to take place in Linköping and Mjölby, Sweden. On Dec. 24, 2021, it was announced by the IIHF that all January 2022 championships would be canceled, including the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, due to COVID-19. 

“I think it’s just made us more hungry and ready, with it being taken away two years in a row,” Janecke said. “It really fuels you and makes you want to play even more and represent your country.

“I’ll have a lot of support there, too. My family, people from my town, friends and stuff — it will be fun.”

The star athlete split each year of high school between her hometown of Orangeville, and her preparatory school in New England, the North American Hockey Academy (NAHA) in Massachusetts, where she played hockey at the highest level for high school teens in the country.

After her freshman season, she was offered — and accepted — a scholarship to play for Penn State in college. According to her Team USA bio, the one word she describes her play as is “aggressive.” She also said the game’s competitive nature and quickness is what has not only drawn, but kept her interest in the game.

This past season she was second on her team with 46 goals, and led with 74 assists. Her 120 total points in 78 games played were the tops on her team. She also led her team in penalty minutes.

“It was very successful. We had a state tournament for the first time this year and won that, and then made it to nationals for that, and that was the first time in history that our program has ever gone,” she said, adding that it was a fun experience altogether. “A lot of those girls that were there playing at nationals are going to be my teammates. We’re going up again the best players in the country and competing at the highest level.”

Janecke’s not just good with the stick on the ice, but also on the ball diamond. An all-state softball player, she helped lead the Broncos to a third-place finish in the Illinois state tournament as a junior, leading the team in home runs along the way.

This season she had 12 extra base hits and five home runs. She had to leave the Broncos in the opening weeks of the season to return out east, as her prep school reached the national tournament for the first time in program history.

“It’s just a lot of appreciation for the people that have helped me along the way. My dad and mom have put in so much time — taking us anywhere we needed to go get better. And it’s not just with hockey, it’s every sport. They are always there to support us and watch us play,” Janecke said.

Janecke is the first player in Monroe Youth Hockey Association history to earn an NCAA Division I scholarship, as well as earn a spot on the national team. She played for MYHA as a 10U, 12U, and 14U player, while also joining Team Wisconsin at 14U. 

The U.S. has hosted the event twice before and is an eight-time champion since the tournament was established in 2008.

Also playing for Team USA is Jenessa Gazdik of Somerset, Wis., and Kelly Gorbatenko of Barrington, Ill.

The team joined up in Blaine, Minn. on May 29 to begin practicing and training. They will drive to Madison June 5, and then begin playing the next day.

It will also be a chance for Janecke to play at LaBahn Arena. 

“It will be fun to go full circle, doing Badger Camps and all of that, and now getting to show off all that I can again,” she said.

— The Associated Press contributed to this story.