ORANGEVILLE — Tessa Janecke, an Orangeville freshman, became the first former Monroe Youth Hockey Association player to verbally commit to play for a Division 1 college school. Last week Janecke announced her intentions to play for the Penn State Nittany Lions beginning in the 2022-23 season.

“They’ve got a new coach, but their old coach got them into the Top-10,” she said of Penn State. “I wanted to go to a Big Ten school. I liked their new facility and their campus.”

Janecke said the Nittany Lions began recruiting her at the end of the last school year, and that by making her decision now she can focus on her craft and “it takes the stress off not spending weekends talking to coaches from other schools.” She also received interest from Wisconsin, Northeastern and Colgate.

Janecke returned home this past weekend for holiday break, but will leave at the end of the month to return to Vermont. She’s still completing the Orangeville High School curriculum remotely while she attends the North American Hockey Academy in Stowe, Vermont.

“I like how fast we play,” she said of NAHA. “It’s very fast. I’m more heads up and have to move the puck faster. I like how I play with girls who have already committed everyday as well.”

Janecke will return from the second half of her stay in March — just in time to compete in softball for the Broncos.

Janecke, the daughter of Andrew “Rooney” and Kari Janecke, Orangeville, began playing hockey for the Avalanche in 2009. She worked her way through the different levels and has played in the boy’s Kohlman Cup and for the Team Wisconsin boys and the U-14 Team Wisconsin girls.

Rooney Janecke said much of Tessa’s success has been through her own determination and effort.

“I think she’s worked extremely hard,” Rooney said. “She’s had a rivalry with her brother, Cade, that’s helped. They’ve played everything together.”

Older brother Cade is currently in the U-16 Minors program for the Madison Capitols after spending his freshman season in high school as the leading scorer of the Monroe boys high school co-op last year. Tessa also has a younger brother, fourth-grader Beau, who plays for MYHA.

“It made it easier for us to have them always on the same team — hockey, baseball,” Rooney said of Tessa and Cade. “But for Tessa, she’s always had to play up to the boys, sometimes a year or two older than her. She works out using the Orangeville football weight lifting regiment — deadlifts, clean, squat, bench press. In Vermont they have an hour and a half of practice every morning, then they have cycling classing some days and weight lifting on others.”

Tessa said she liked playing Avalanche hockey and figured out early on it was the sport for her. 

“It was fun scoring goals and making plays. And the hockey community is smaller, so I feel like you get to know everyone,” she said. “I just have to say thank you to all my coaches over the years.”

Rooney said MYHA has been a big part of his daughter’s life. “I think that program has gone above and beyond,” he said. “There is so much ice time that it benefits everyone.”